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Activities of the Council of Europe to counter hate speech and intolerance | January 2021 Newsletter
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Editorial
(Statement by Mr Momodou Malcolm Jallow, General Rapporteur on Combating racism and intolerance, on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the Holocaust, 27 January 2021)

On the International Day of Commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust, the world stops and reflects on the murderous impact of prejudice, stigmatisation and hatred.

While we keep the memory of the victims alive, we should remain alert to what happens in Europe today: not only is intolerance still rife, it is on the rise. Antisemitism, never quite eradicated, resurfaces virulently in the form of on- and off-line abuse against Jewish people, attacks on individuals, the vandalisation of cemeteries and places of worship.

Discrimination against other groups that were victims of the Holocaust, such as Roma and Sinti and LGBTI people, still poisons our societies. Against this backdrop, an upsurge of far-right extremism and neo-Nazism is observed across Europe. I call on legislators and policy makers to step up their efforts to prevent and counter extremism and neo-Nazism and to actively implement counter-measures to detect, record and prosecute hate speech and hate crimes at all levels of society.

I count on fellow members of the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance to support and echo this call, and to make it their own in their home countries and in the assemblies of which they are part.
Upcoming events
     
    • Tuesday 2 February 2021 – Hearing on the activities of the Council of Europe to counter hate speech and intolerance
     
    On 2 February, the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance will hold an online joint hearing with the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination on the "Current activities of the Council of Europe to counter Hate Speech and intolerance”. Guest speakers will include Ms Somi Nikol, Deputy to the Permanent Representative of Germany to the Council of Europe, Mr Menno Ettema from the Council of Europe’s No Hate Speech and Cooperation Unit and Mr Mats Lindberg, from the Secretariat of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

    Tuesday 2 February 2021 – 11:30am-12:30pm (CET)
    Members of the Alliance and the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination should register to participate in the hearing by sending an email to [email protected] and will receive a KUDO link to join the meeting remotely.

    • Wednesday 3 February 2021 – launching event of the Amnesty International/OSF Guide
     
    On 3 February, Momodou Malcolm Jallow, General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance, will participate in the virtual launching event of the Amnesty International/OSF Human Rights Guide to Researching Racial and Religious Discrimination in Counter-Terrorism in Europe, for which he wrote the foreword. The guide aims to fill “a critical gap in the literature on how to research and prove discrimination against individuals and groups labelled as threats to national security based on their religion or race.” 

    Wednesday 3 February 2021 – 3:00pm (CET)
    Members willing to attend the event should register here.
    Recent events
    • 18 December – webinar on the infiltration of law enforcement and the military by racists and far-right extremists
     
    On 18 December 2020, the Alliance held a webinar on the infiltration of law enforcement and the military by racists and far-right extremists. The webinar aimed to share available information and discuss recommendations on countermeasures, examining in particular measures put into place to identify and expel radical individuals or groups, encouraging whistleblowing and holding hierarchies accountable for inadequate reaction to violations.

    The webinar was moderated by Mr Momodou Malcolm Jallow, General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance and Coordinator of the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance. Guest speakers included Ms Sara Khan, Lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism (United Kingdom), Mr Jean-Claude Vullierme, Former French National Police Chief Superintendent, and Ms Rebekah Delsol, Programme Manager, Open Society Justice Initiative.

    The webinar is now available on YouTube.   

    • 27 November – hearing on the Charter of European Political Parties for a non-racist society
     
    On 27 November 2020, the Alliance held a joint hearing with PACE’s Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination and Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, on the Charter of European Political Parties for a non-racist society. The hearing kick-started a process of updating and relaunching this text, which is based on political parties’ self-regulation.

    The hearing was introduced by Mr Andreas Nick, First Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, and moderated by Mr Momodou Malcolm Jallow. Guest speakers included Ms Samira Rafaela, Member of the European Parliament and Co-president of the European Parliament’s Antiracism and Discrimination Intergroup (ARDI), and Ms Maria Daniella Marouda, Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

    Read the news here and watch the video of the hearing here.
    Publications
    • The Alliance has published a compilation of relevant texts adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly on racism, intolerance and hate speech, with a foreword by Mr Momodou Malcolm Jallow, General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance. Available here.
    • Check out our brochure about the aims and activities of the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance. Available here. Feel free to use it and spread the word about the Alliance!
     
    In other news
    • Have you read the latest work by ECRI, the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance? ECRI published a report on the Slovak Republic in the framework of its 6th monitoring cycle, calling for improved education of Roma children and for a renewed commitment to combat discrimination against LGBTI persons. ECRI also published a follow-up interim report on Sweden, calling for better investigation on discrimination by public authorities and enhanced integration support for migrant women.
    • The European Court of Human Rights and the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) have published an updated version of their legal handbook on European migration and asylum law.
    • On 2 December, the Council of the European Union adopted a Declaration on mainstreaming the fight against antisemitism across policy areas. Find out more about this initiative here. The European Commission has also announced that it will present its European strategy against antisemitism by the end of 2021.
     
    Follow the Alliance on its website and on Twitter. 

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