Council of Europe warns of 'alarming levels of hate speech'

The Council of Europe has warned of “alarming levels of hate speech” across Europe with xenophobic discourse becoming more prevalent as stricter immigration policies are being drawn up.

In its annual report published on Thursday, the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance voiced its “deep concern” about the “ripple effects of hate speech across democratic societies in Europe”.

The report identified ethnic or national origin as two of the most common grounds for hate speech, followed by religion, citizenship, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Roma are frequently targeted by hate speech, often being portrayed as a threat to public security or health, the ECRI reported.

Antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate speech “remain prominent” in the official statistics of various European countries, at a level much higher than before the Hamas attack against Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza.

“Xenophobic rhetoric at times interlinks with anti-Black racism, especially online and in the field of sport. As regards LGBTI-phobia, transgender persons continue to be particularly targeted,” the ECRI said.

Foreign nationals, LGBTI persons, Roma and Muslims are the primary targets of political hate speech based on negative stereotyping and misinformation, notably during election periods. Disinformation campaigns originating from abroad have also raised growing concerns.

“Hate speech harms not only victims and affected communities but also democracy itself. Political leaders, public officials and online platform operators should fully recognise their role and responsibility, reject hateful discourse and promote inclusive narratives,” ECRI chair Bertil Cottier said.

ECRI has repeatedly encouraged self-regulation against hate speech among political parties, by signing the Charter of European political parties for a non-racist and inclusive society.

The report also highlighted action against hateful online content which “spread rapidly and widely through social media and messaging platforms”.

“The use of anonymous profiles and bots hinders effective investigation and sanctioning,” the report stated.

"AI holds real promise for detecting and managing hateful content online,” Cottier said.

“But its use must go hand in hand with strong human oversight and clear channels for reporting online hate speech, including through ‘trusted flaggers’, to ensure that governments and internet intermediaries can act effectively.”

The ECRI underlined the importance of developing an adequate legislative framework and inclusive policies.

It also noted a “worrying trend” that sees individuals such as MPs and civil society actors who take a stand against racist or LGBTI-phobic hate speech falling victim to hate speech themselves or facing threats, including death threats.

“At times, this has had a chilling effect on them,” the ECRI said, as it called for a safe civic space to be created and protection against attempts to undermine anti-hate action.

The ECRI also expressed its concern over the growing impact of hate speech on children and young people, both as potential victims and as perpetrators, mostly online.

“Divisive and hateful narratives can spread rather easily at schools, and teachers are insufficiently prepared to address such situations,” the ECRI said.

The commission pointed out that human rights education and media literacy “can be vital” in addressing both offline and online hate speech and building young people’s resistance to racism and intolerance.