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Resolution 1754 (2010) Final version
Fight against extremism: achievements, deficiencies and failures
1. The Parliamentary Assembly expresses
its concern at the upsurge of certain forms of extremism in Europe
which, taking advantage of the framework of rights and freedoms
guaranteed by European democracies, pursue objectives which contravene
Europe’s democratic and human rights values and, in the worst cases,
condone or even promote violence.
2. Among these forms of extremism, racism and xenophobia are
a major source of preoccupation, in the light of the rise in electoral
support for parties inspired by racist ideas – as has been the case
in a number of recent national elections, as well as in the elections
to the European Parliament – and the non-negligible risk that mainstream
political parties tend to rely on racist discourse in order to avoid
losing part of their electorate. What is also worrying is the increasingly
hostile discourse held by some public figures, which borders on
and sometimes falls squarely under the category of hate speech.
3. In addition, the European public and governments have become
increasingly aware of the extent of the threat posed by Islamic
fundamentalism, an ideology which, although remaining marginal in
Europe, exerts a growing attraction among young Muslims, finding
fertile ground in their frustration caused by racism, discrimination,
social exclusion and unemployment, which tend to affect them more
than the rest of the population. This form of extremism has led
to a number of deadly terrorist attacks, some on European soil,
such as in Moscow in 2002 and 2010, in Istanbul in 2003, in Beslan
and Madrid in 2004 and in London in 2005.
4. European countries are also host to a number of extremist
groups, formed by foreign citizens, who are not interested in doing
harm to the country where they reside but who are engaged in propaganda
and fund-raising activities in order to pursue extremist objectives
in their countries of origin, such as the overthrow of the authorities
through violent means, political destabilisation through terrorist
or guerrilla attacks, or secession. It is urgent to work out an
international legal mechanism with a view to stopping all forms
of financial support to extremist groups.
5. Examples of these groups include the People’s Mujahedin of
Iran and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), terrorist organisations
which are present in many Council of Europe member states,andEuskadi
Ta Askatasuna (ETA), which has bases in France. In this context,
the Assembly voices its deep concern at the resurgence of violence
prompted by separatist groups in Europe, as has been the case recently
in Spain and Turkey, with a number of deadly attacks perpetrated
respectively by the terrorist organisations ETA and the PKK.
6. The Assembly acknowledges the complex character of extremism,
its different forms and its evolving nature. Despite these differences,
however, all forms of extremism which advocate or condone violence contravene
the values and principles of the Council of Europe and must be countered
with resolve, in full respect of the guarantees and safeguards enshrined
in the constitutions of Council of Europe member states and relevant
human rights protection instruments, notably the European Convention
on Human Rights (ETS No. 5 – the Convention).
7. In this context, the Assembly recalls Articles 10 and 11 of
the Convention, respectively devoted to freedom of expression and
freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Although these freedoms
are the pillars of a pluralist democracy, their exercise can be
restricted. These restrictions should always be prescribed by law,
should be necessary in a democratic society and should pursue the
legitimate aims mentioned in the Convention, such as prevention
of disorder or crime, the protection of morals and the protection
of the rights of others. Article 17 of the Convention adds that
no state, group or person has the right to engage in an activity or
perform any act aimed at the destruction of the rights or freedoms
recognised in the Convention or at their limitation to a greater
extent than is provided for in the Convention itself.
8. At the same time, the Assembly expresses doubts about the
compliance of anti-extremism legislation introduced in some Council
of Europe member states with international human rights instruments
– such as the Convention – and stresses that a too general or vague
definition of the crimes set out in such legislation can increase
the risk of its arbitrary application.
9. Politically, in their fight against extremism, Council of
Europe member states are confronted with a number of daunting challenges,
first of all how to address the root causes of extremism. Resolute
action against discrimination, emphasis on civic education and intercultural
and inter-religious dialogue, involvement of civil society and
non-governmental organisations – especially those representing segments
of society which are excluded de jure or de facto from ordinary
channels of participation – in consultation or decision-making processes
are key instruments to reduce the potential attraction of extremist
groups and movements.
10. As regards Islamist extremism, Council of Europe member states
need to deal with this threat effectively while avoiding the stigmatisation
of Islam as a religion. More efforts should be made to fight against Islamophobia
and to combat the negative stereotyping of Islam and Muslims in
society, along the lines set out in General Policy Recommendation
No. 5 of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance
(ECRI) on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims.
11. The structuring of Islamist extremist groups in dormant or
active independent cells with loose international connections poses
huge difficulties for domestic law enforcement and intelligence
agencies and for transnational co-operation, both in prevention
and detection. The need to ensure the effectiveness of these bodies,
however, should not be used as a pretext to deprive parliament of
its right and duty of democratic oversight.
12. Finally, the Assembly regrets that the challenge of establishing
a more ethical attitude in politics, when dealing with issues related
to race, ethnic and national origin, and religion, is still to be
met. In this context, it recalls the Charter of European Political
Parties for a Non-Racist Society, signed by its President and the President
of the European Parliament in 2003, and the Declaration on the use
of racist, antisemitic and xenophobic elements in political discourse,
adopted by ECRI in 2005, which it commends for their relevance.
13. In the light of the above, the Assembly invites Council of
Europe member states to:
13.1. address
the root causes of extremism as a priority in the fight against
this phenomenon by:
13.1.1. continuing to take resolute action
against discrimination, in all fields;
13.1.2. setting up consultation processes involving civil society
and non-governmental organisations representing a broad spectrum
of society, including categories that are most at risk of radicalisation,
and thus ensuring the involvement of civil society in the elaboration
and implementation of anti-extremist policies;
13.1.3. putting an emphasis on education for democratic citizenship;
13.1.4. devising clear and sustainable immigration policies, accompanied
by appropriate integration policies;
13.1.5. strengthening their activities in the field of intercultural
and inter-religious dialogue, also by endorsing the Council of Europe
White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue;
13.1.6. developing an international legal mechanism with a view
to stopping all forms of financial support to extremist groups;
13.1.7. implementing socio-economic policies aimed at contributing
to efforts for the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance
within society, including the elimination of any manifestation of
discrimination on grounds of religious beliefs in access to education,
in employment and at the workplace, relating to access to housing
in mixed areas, in public services and also as regards democratic
participation through citizenship;
13.2. continue to fight terrorism and other forms of violent
extremism, while ensuring the strictest respect for human rights
and the rule of law, in compliance with the Council of Europe Guidelines
on human rights and the fight against terrorism, adopted by the
Committee of Ministers in 2002, and ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation
No. 8 on combating racism while fighting terrorism;
13.3. ensure that anti-extremism legislation is applied systematically
and consistently to all forms of extremism and avoid all risk of
arbitrariness in its implementation;
13.4. ensure that measures limiting or prohibiting the activities
of extremist political parties are consistent with the case law
of the European Court of Human Rights and the 1999 Guidelines on prohibition
and dissolution of political parties and analogous measures of the
European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission),
in particular as regards the exceptional character of the dissolution
of parties and the requirement to explore alternative sanctions
before applying such a measure;
13.5. enforce the penalties foreseen by their legislation against
public incitement to violence, racial discrimination and intolerance,
including Islamophobia;
13.6. introduce in their criminal legislation provisions against
incitement to racial hatred or hate speech, implement the Committee
of Ministers Recommendation No. R (97) 20 on hate speech, if they
have not yet done so, and endorse the good practices and recommendations
laid down in the Council of Europe publication Manual on hate speech (2009);
13.7. step up appropriate information measures to encourage
victims of extremist acts to report them to the relevant authorities;
13.8. strengthen the oversight by national parliaments of the
activities of intelligence agencies, in line with the recommendations
set out in Assembly Recommendation
1713 (2005) on the democratic oversight of the security
sector in member states;
13.9. improve the analysis of the phenomenon of extremism and
the collection and comparability of relevant data;
13.10. strengthen international co-operation in order to counter
the spread of extremist propaganda on the Internet;
13.11. ensure full co-operation with ECRI and support its activities.
14. In addition, the Assembly asks its members, the political
parties which they represent and its political groups to:
14.1. promote or endorse the Charter
of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society;
14.2. follow the suggestions made by ECRI in its Declaration
on the use of racist, antisemitic and xenophobic elements in political
discourse and its General Policy Recommendation No. 5 on combating intolerance
and discrimination against Muslims;
14.3. promote the setting-up of ethics committees within political
parties and parliaments, with the right to sanction their members
for racist, antisemitic, xenophobic or Islamophobic behaviour or
discourse.
15. Finally, the Assembly encourages the Commissioner for Human
Rights to devote increasing attention to all forms of extremism,
including Islamophobia.