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Resolution 2275 (2019)
The role and responsibilities of political leaders in combating hate speech and intolerance
1. Europe is facing an upsurge in
hate speech, encompassing all forms of expression which spread,
incite to, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, Islamophobia,
anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including
intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism,
discrimination and hostility against national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities, immigrants and people of immigrant origin, women
and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.
2. The political arena is no exception to this worrying trend:
hate speech and intolerance have become part of political discourse,
where they are used not only by populist and extremist groups but
increasingly by representatives of movements and parties across
the political spectrum. Information technology has significantly
contributed to spreading and amplifying hate speech, therefore trivialising
it in the eyes of the general public.
3. The Parliamentary Assembly is concerned by the threat posed
by hate speech, which dehumanises the individuals and groups it
targets, making them more vulnerable to stigmatisation, discrimination
and violence. Hate speech erodes the social fabric and hinders peaceful
living together in diversity. It produces a feeling of exclusion
among minority groups and can contribute to alienation, marginalisation,
the emergence of parallel societies and, ultimately, radicalisation.
When used in political debate, it becomes a barrier to constructive dialogue
between political forces and it undermines democratic values.
4. The Assembly considers that the most effective way of preventing
hate speech is to strengthen adherence to the principles of democracy,
human rights and the rule of law, and to promote a model of society that
embraces diversity and respects human dignity. Politicians, along
with other public figures, have a vital role to play in this process.
Their status and visibility allow them to influence a wide audience
and to define to a significant degree the themes and the tone of
public discourse.
5. In fact, politicians have both a political obligation and
a moral responsibility to refrain from using hate speech and stigmatising
language, and to condemn promptly and unequivocally its use by others,
as silence may be interpreted as approval or support. The enhanced
protection of freedom of expression that they enjoy also strengthens
their responsibility in this area.
6. The Assembly believes that a wide range of measures is necessary
to counter hate speech, ranging from self-regulation, particularly
by political movements and parties, and in the statutes and rules
of procedure of national and local elected bodies, to civil, administrative
and criminal legislation prohibiting and sanctioning its use, which
should be considered as a last resort. Restrictions and sanctions
should be proportionate and should not be misused to silence minorities
or to suppress criticism.
7. Self-regulatory instruments adopted by political parties,
such as statutes and charters, are particularly effective and more
likely to be respected due to their voluntary nature. The Charter
of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society, drawn up
in 1998 under the auspices of the European Union Consultative Commission
on Racism and Xenophobia, provides guidance for self-regulation
by political parties in this area. To be relevant in the present
times, however, it should be updated to take into account different
forms of hatred, based on all grounds, and the technical means currently
used to spread it. It should also redress one of its main weaknesses,
namely the lack of measures addressing breaches of the charter.
8. The media, including social media, should play an important
role in limiting the impact of hate speech by providing accurate,
unbiased information and not giving excessive visibility to instances
of stigmatising or abusive language, including by political leaders.
9. The Assembly refers to the exchange of letters between the
Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the main players
in information technology to promote an open and safe internet,
where human rights, democracy and the rule of law are respected
in the online environment, as a useful example of dialogue and co-operation
with internet intermediaries.
10. The Assembly commends the work conducted by the European Commission
against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in this area and supports,
in particular, its General Policy Recommendation No. 15 on Combating
Hate Speech which indicates a wealth of measures on preventing and
combating hate speech, providing support for those targeted by it,
and calling for self-regulation by public and private institutions, including
elected bodies and political parties.
11. The Assembly recalls its No Hate Parliamentary Alliance, a
network of parliamentarians who commit to taking an open, firm and
proactive stand against racism, hatred and intolerance on whatever
grounds and however they manifest themselves, as an example of a
forum for discussion and exchange of good practices that should
be replicated in national parliaments. It also recalls the No Hate
Speech Movement and that, although the Council of Europe campaign
came to an end in 2017, its national committees continue to be active.
12. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
the Council of Europe member States to:
12.1. monitor the situation as regards hate speech, including
in political discourse, and collect accurate, comparable data on
its nature and prevalence, disaggregated by grounds of discrimination, target
groups, types of perpetrators and channels used;
12.2. implement ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 15,
by adopting relevant administrative, civil and, as a last resort,
criminal law provisions;
12.3. encourage political movements and parties to adopt self-regulation
instruments, such as codes of conduct and ethical charters, which
prohibit and sanction the use of hate speech by their members;
12.4. encourage the media to provide accurate, unbiased and
responsible information in matters relevant to individuals or groups
that are vulnerable to discrimination and hatred;
12.5. engage in dialogue and co-operation with internet intermediaries,
in particular social media, to encourage them to adopt and apply
self-regulation texts to prevent and sanction the use of hate speech and
commit to removing offensive content;
12.6. promote information and awareness-raising activities addressed
to politicians and elected representatives at all levels, focusing
on initiatives and measures adopted to counter hate speech and intolerance,
including at international level, such as the Charter of European
Parties for a Non-Racist Society and the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance;
12.7. provide public officials with training on fundamental
rights, equality and non-discrimination, particularly in schools
and other educational institutions and in contexts where institutional
discrimination may take place, including in police forces and the
judiciary, the armed forces, legal services and the medical profession;
12.8. promote awareness-raising activities targeting the general
public on racism and intolerance, and hate speech specifically;
12.9. support the national committees of the No Hate Speech
Movement campaign;
12.10. encourage politicians to disseminate, including on social
media, positive messages in relation to minorities in their countries.
13. The Assembly calls on the parliaments of member States, as
well as the parliaments enjoying the status of observer or partner
for democracy, to:
13.1. provide
parliamentarians and other political actors with information and
training on how to prevent, identify and react to hate speech on-
and offline, as well as on human rights, equality and non-discrimination,
and the malignant use of social networks and other media, including
disinformation;
13.2. ensure that their statutes and rules of procedure contain
specific provisions against hate speech and stigmatising language,
sanctions for non-compliance and accessible complaints mechanisms;
13.3. establish study groups with the participation of parliamentarians,
experts and civil society representatives, to monitor hate speech
and recommend measures to address it at national level.
14. The Parliamentary Assembly believes that the 25th anniversary
of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, which
falls in 2019, provides a good opportunity to update the Charter
of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society, including
measures for breaches of the charter, and to relaunch it.