The devastating effect of hatred’s scale and impact can be amplified by new communication technologies. If left unchecked, hate speech can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts, tensions & wide-scale human rights violations. The United Nations proclaimed 18 June as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, building on the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech launched on 18 June 2019. In July 2021, the UN General Assembly highlighted global concerns over “the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech” worldwide and adopted a resolution on “promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech”. The resolution recognises the need to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech and calls on all relevant actors, including States, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon in line with international human rights law.  

Shaping minds and hearts by sharing experiences

To learn about and promote step-by-step practices on how to tackle hate speech and have an support communities to work towards a more just and inclusive space, CHARM-EU is delighted to share the story and message of Debora Barletta, youth worker, trainer, activist, and National Coordinator of No Hate Speech Movement Italy:

Debora Barletta: “In November 2015, I attended a National Coordinators and Activists Meeting of the No Hate Speech Movement youth campaign with the United Kingdom-based organisation Euromernet, which brought the campaign to the UK and with whom I was doing an ERASMUS+ Traineeship. By getting in touch with the campaign, I immediately fell in love with it, its mission, principles and people, and I signed up to be part of the International Group on Online Activists, in charge of creating online content, and campaigns and taking care of the No Hate Speech Watch.”

Debora also highlights that countering hate speech is a long-term task: “it aims at integrating human rights values, respect, and dignity in our everyday communication, which often means “unlearn” certain traditional or mainstream ways of talking and expressing ourselves. All over the countries of the world, we have always been brought up with the assumption that what we are taught is inherently good and fair, just because it’s always been like this, and it has worked for the maintenance of our societies for a very long time. Nowadays, however, and luckily so, we are aware that many of the attitudes and behaviours that constitute the mainstream and that influence not only our way of looking at reality but also our laws are modelled on the needs and rights of a restricted part of the population, which can be defined as the majority only because all those who do not fall in this categories are usually marginalised and segregated in different groups. To say it shortly, the “majority” is defined by the power it holds rather than by the number of people that constitutes it, thus meaning that to address “people’s needs truly”, we need to take care of all the people for real. At the same time, hate speech protects those who crave powers for their benefit, manipulating people’s legitimate negative emotions, like anger and fear, directing them against other people rather than supporting the address of big societal problems.”

In her message, Deborah emphasizes the importance of respecting human rights: “Remember that countering hate speech means countering the mechanisms and the dynamics of hate. It can never be countering or fighting other people. Contrasting hate speech can work if we advocate for the respect of human rights, which means standing for dialogue, constructive criticism, and conflict. For this reason, we can’t allow ourselves to fall into the category of us vs them, or polarisation. We should rather subvert these trends by putting ourselves in listening mode, understanding that we can’t contrast hate by using its weapons but rather showing people that we’re all allies and that if we use hate, hate will fuel itself to isolate and silence everybody for the benefit of the very few. At the same time, human rights are universal, including Freedom of Speech, a beautiful and precious right that must never be weaponised to oppress others since it belongs to all of us. It goes against its principles if it harms people. Hat speech is not free speech.”

CHARM-EU’s commitment to working towards inclusive and just societies.

There is a crucial role of education in tackling hate speech: empowering individuals to promote human rights and develop intercultural competencies & understanding is essential to transform mindsets of individuals and organisations by fostering multi-perspectivity in an ever-more diverse world. In alignment with CHARM-EU’s vision and mission and part of our work on inclusion and diversity to create an innovative university model that identifies and reflects on social challenges, CHARM-EU joins to raise awareness of this International Day, reiterating our commitment to creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful organisational culture, including educational and working spaces. CHARM-EU’s organisational culture and how our values and principles are implemented across our activities rely on joint actions, including the closer and wider community and stakeholders. We work towards a climate of respect, accountability, honesty, and integrity in the community, as described in one of our core values – inclusiveness.

Strengthening digital literacy as part of global citizenship education and being equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to identify and counteract hate speech has become more important than ever. It can draw on Global Citizenship Education as well as on media and information literacy initiatives. Building digital citizenship requires fostering knowledge and an understanding of human rights, which can be done through human rights education. The United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech emphasises the transformative power of education as a tool to address this phenomenon’s root causes and drivers. It seeks to promote peaceful, inclusive, and just societies for all, in line with the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

Joint efforts of the CHARM-EU community and actors will foster awareness-raising and create a more just, inclusive society. CHARM-EU is committed to shaping minds and developing structures to realise the UN SDG’s values meaningfully. Realising the SDGs requires everyone’s actions, regardless of size. 

Joins us to raise awareness by using the hashtag #NoToHate on social media. Find more information by visiting the following link: International Day for Countering Hate Speech | United Nations

References:

• International Day for Countering Hate Speech | United Nations
• Say #NoToHate – The impacts of hate speech and actions you can take | United Nations
• No Hate Speech Youth Campaign Website – No Hate Speech Youth Campaign (coe.int)
• No Hate Speech Movement Italia

Credit: 

• The contribution was prepared in collaboration with Agnes Sarolta Fazekas-Vinkovits, Leader of CHARM-EU Inclusiveness (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Team and Debora Barletta, youth worker, trainer and activist, National Coordinator of No Hate Speech Movement Italy.