Hate speech is a rising phenomenon which poses a direct threat to democracy and human rights. Increasingly present online and offline, it not only undermines individuals’ essential rights and fundamental freedoms, but it also humiliates and marginalize targeted individuals and groups. On 20 May 2022, the Council of Europe adopted a new Recommendation on Combating Hate Speech containing a set of guidelines for the member States and other key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent and fight hate speech within a human rights framework, including in the online environment. The recommendation provides a working definition of Hate Speech which distinguishes different levels in accordance to their gravity and calls for implementing adequately calibrated and proportionate measures. Member States are invited to adopt an effective legal and policy framework covering criminal, civil and administrative law, and to set up and implement alternative measures, including awareness-raising, education, the use of counter and alternative speech. States are also encouraged to set up support mechanisms to assist those targeted by hate speech, conduct monitoring and engage in international co-operation and national co-ordination. In June 2019, the Secretary-General of the United Nations launched the UNS Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. The Strategy represent the UN commitment to address and counter hate speech as ONE UN in a holistic way and in full respect with international human right standards, in particular with the right to freedom of expression and opinion. It also introduces a working definition of hate speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other forms of identity.” The Recommendation of the Council of Europe builds on case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, international standards, such UNS Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, and promising practices identified in recent years. A wide range of different actors, ranging from States to National Human Rights Bodies, Civil Society Organisations and Internet Industry are invited to seek effective ways to concretely implement a coherent and co-ordinated response. In other words: once comprehensive standards have been made available, how do we succeed in translating them into practice? Who should act, What should they do, Where should they start, When and Why do practises guarantee conformity with human rights in parallel with the achievement of concrete results? This session will explore these crucial questions. Following a short in-depth introduction to CM Rec 2022(16) on Combating Hate Speech, parallel discussions will be held to focus on its implementation. The discussion will be articulated around the following key questions: - How to provide a legal framework coving criminal, civil and administrative law that is human rights compliant and proportional to the context. What should it deliver, by Who and How? – Moderated by representative of the Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands, and vice-chair the expert committee on combating hate speech. - How to provide victim support for persons targeted by hate speech. What support is necessary and to who and by whom should it be provided? – Moderated by Representative of HateAid, a German CSO supporting victims of hate speech and Chief of Office, UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. - Monitoring hate speech online, how to set-up an effective and consistent framework work to collect disaggregated data on hate speech? How can the data support policy and practice in combating hate speech? – Moderated by Senior Lecturer in Law at the Cardiff University. - Education and Counter Speech: what have we learned from existing tools and practices and how to measure the effect/impact and upscale it? – Moderated by representative of Italian No Hate Speech coalition.

The session introduction to the CM Recommendation will be presented in person and can be followed via the live stream. The break-out groups could be run hybrid if IGF provides technical facilities. Otherwise, the organisers could hold the breakout session in-person and online in parallel. The in-person breakout would be facilitated by CoE staff and speakers present at IGF, while the online session would be facilitated by additional staff and remaining speakers participating online. A closing round to collect feedback from the in-person and online breakout sessions will be held in the plenary in hybrid format. During the plenary session short Menti-meter questions will seek to involve in-person and online participant. A moderator will facilitate the chat session and raise comments during the plenaries. The breakout groups will use a online blackboard to take notes of discussions, which can be made available in the plenary feedback round.