THE EUROPEAN YOUTH FOUNDATION AND THE NO HATE SPEECH MOVEMENT 2012-2018 Foreword

oung People Combating Hate The fight against hate speech Through this publication, the EYF YSpeech Online is a campaign has been one of the strategic outlines its involvement in the initiated by the youth priorities for the programme of campaign and presents examples representatives in the Joint the Council of Europe’s youth of projects that illustrate the Council on Youth. It has been run sector since 2012. diversity of initiatives that are by the Council of Europe’s youth being supported. sector since 2012. Since the launch of the No Hate Speech Movement campaign In October 2015, the EYF edited a It aims to combat racism and dis- in 2012, the European Youth first publication outlining its crimination, as expressed online Foundation (EYF) has supported involvement in the No Hate as hate speech, by 141 projects on this topic, with Speech Campaign. mobilising young people and grants totalling 1 831 800 euros. youth organisations to This update presents new NHSM recognise and act against such projects that were financed by the human rights violations. EYF.

April 2018 WORLD STUDENT CHRISTIAN FEDERATION

YOUTHNET HELLAS

DRONI FORUM 16 AEQUITAS With the EYF, the National “We learnt a lot The project After the end of the European Youth Council of Ireland about running responded Campaign, the NYCI had the (NYCI) takes the lead the campaign to the trend idea to organise a “Youth against hate speech during that of increasing Ambassadors Training Course” incidents called #SolidActivists”, which to launch its national phase. We are of hate received the EYF-support to a campaign now bringing our speech by pilot activity. campaign experi- encouraging n 2014, the National Youth ences to Northern young people Interviewed by the EYF, some ICouncil Ireland (NYCI) Ireland”. to adopt an participants explained how organised an EYF-supported active stance important the No Hate Speech pilot activity aimed at launching against Movement was for Ireland. It the No Hate Speech Movement human rights abuses with is one of the “few countries in Ireland with young activists. creativity. Within the framework in Europe that does not have of this training course, the a hate speech legislation”, This training course enabled website that hosts the official says Emmanuel Samuel, who them to acquire skills to counter National Campaign Committee of “experiences hate speech in his online hate speech and to Ireland for the No Hate Speech daily life”. prepare launching events for Movement was developed and the national No Hate Speech launched. Movement campaign in Ireland. Another output from this project was a video that illustrates the impact on victims of hate speech and invites people to say “No” to this phenomenon and to join the No Hate Speech Movement. Overall, with this project NYCI achieved extensive awareness raising about the campaign and introduced a discourse on hate speech in Ireland that was previously absent. Birth of the Hate Fighters the legal aspects and online Thousands of young people Network activism. Methods such as hip have been reached though the hop dance, music, photography various social media platforms. upported by the EYF in and drawing have been used to The “Hate Fighters” Booklet S2013, this first Hate fighters produce more tools to combat presents some of the products project was launched by the hate speech. The outcome has of the 2013 and 2014 activities Club for Youth Empowerment been a multitude of comics, - from photo groups, to comics 018 (KOM 018) in in illustrations, photo comics, as and hip hop dance. cooperation with the Council well as a Facebook page and for Prevention of Juvenile YouTube channel. Delinquency - SPPMD, “the former Yugoslav Republic of The official song of the “Hate Macedonia”. Their programme Fighters”, “Stop Hate Speech”, has been implemented through was created by a KOM various youth meetings and 018 volunteer, rapper and capacity building activities songwriter. The choreography in 2013 and 2014. The “hate was developed by a dance fighter” is a young person trainer. In 2016, the Hate Fighters who has participated in the Network received an EYF grant education and action stage of to develop an annual work plan. a project. Participants first take This grant enabled them to part in a workshop (educational carry out their actions against component) and then, they take hate speech in 8 countries an active part in a local action (Serbia, , against hate speech. , Bulgaria, Macedonia, To thank them for their , Albania and Greece). contribution to the campaign, The network even created an they become officially known official dance that its members as “hate fighters”. The capacity can used for flash mobs in local building or thematic workshops communities. cover the themes of what hate speech is, how to combat it, “Wipe Out Hate”: An answer Materials prepared included: to growing populism posters, leaflets and postcards. A media release was sent out his initiative launched in 2013 ahead of the official launch Tby the youth NGO “United for on 9 November. Information Intercultural Action - European was provided during the Network against Nationalism, campaign via a new website Racism, Fascism and in Support and a Facebook page. Activists of Migrants and Refugees and NGOs were encouraged (UNITED)” is an EYF-supported to join the activities. Events pilot activity. were featured on an interactive map, while the “Wipe Out Hate! During 2013, the “Wipe Out UNITED in Solidarity” conference Hate: Stop Hate Speech Online” was an opportunity for the campaign aimed to raise antiracism movement to gather awareness and respond to the and develop concrete ideas trend in growing populism in against hate speech. Organised in October 2013, Europe by mobilising young the “Wipe Out Hate! UNITED in activists against hate speech and Solidarity” conference brought intolerance online. together activists from 33 European countries in response The International Day Against to a growing populism and to Fascism and Antisemitism prepare the run-up to the EU on 9 November was used as 2014 elections. the coordination date for the campaign which took place in The aim: to provide a platform different European countries. for the antiracism movement to share information, good practices, develop partnerships and cooperation, and mobilise in tangible terms against online and offline hate. An action was organised by participants in the centre of Prague in support of the Roma community of Ostrava, who were threatened by a Nazi-march on the same day. SEYF active against hate The output: an e-handbook speech online for trainers, youth workers, and human rights’ activists n 2012 with EYF support, that presented a mapping of Ithe Italian youth NGO South hate speech online, general Europe Youth Forum (SEYF) prevention policies and developed a training course measures, as well as the “Social Rightwork: Hate Speech importance of education and online - capacity building the role of human rights NGOs workshop South Europe Youth on the issue. It also proposed Forum”. active ways to combat online hate speech and produced a Basing their work on a virtual tool that online activists were communication platform, SEYF invited to use: thematic e- came across the challenges of stickers linked to SEYF’s website online communication amongst and to information on the No youngsters. Hate Speech Movement, to use to report cases of hate speech online.

SEYF brought thirty young activists together with experts in the defence of human rights. Together they explored the status quo on hate speech online with an analysis of official reports and studies on the issue at the European and local level. The NGO provided new information, tools and skills dealing with online discrimination. Cases of hate speech on social networks, newspapers and websites were mapped, analysed and used for the conception of tools and project ideas that would actively counteract such incidents. Fight against Hate Speech War against Hate Speech in I’m the change! Training in Bitola Cyprus Course on No Hate Speech

hanks to the EYF-supported outhnet Hellas, in co-operation he training course “I’m the Tpilot activity in 2017, the Ywith the Youth Social Tchange” organised by the youth Association for Civil Rights Network and Alternative youth NGOs Arm Active and Activism Forum 16 has trained Innovative Development, Loesje focused on over a 6-months period a organised an EYF-supported pilot raising awareness on Human “New Generation of Youth activity in the region of Thessaly, Rights Education and the No Hate Leaders to Address Hate Greece, in 2017. During the Speech Movement in Europe and Speech” in public schools. project “CHariSMA, Combating in the local context. Participants According to the youth NGO, Hate Speech Multipliers and learned about Human Rights high school students in the Ambassadors”, they brought and the various protection local community of Bitola, the together teachers, educators, mechanisms available, and Former Yugoslav Republic of youth activists and youth workers discussed NHSM case studies and Macedonia, are exposed to to share experiences on using examples. significant levels of offensive tools, methods and manuals Tools and techniques to combat speech including ethnic for combating hate speech and hate speech were provided. and gender-related insults, bullying through human rights The working methods included discrimination, and overt hate education. A team of activists theoretical inputs, games, speech. will continue supporting and experiential learning, discussions promoting the NHSM campaign’s and art workshops. ideas and products at local level The photo and video workshops even after its official ending in developed participants’ artistic 2017. skills, leading to the production of two videos. The videos are aimed at drawing the general public’s attention to hate speech online.

n 2016, the EYF gave its support to the Cypriot youth NGO Aequitas, which launched a No Hate Speech Iplatform with a hotline on a Greek and English platform. The platform contains relevant information on hate speech in order to help young people, their relatives or friends understand better the dynamics of hate speech and also provides tools to combat hate speech and/or to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for a human rights culture where solidarity and equality is embraced. The platform provides an online chat system which offers information for victims of hate speech as well as support and information for others such as parents, guardians and friends of victims. The EYF helped to “Turn Hate off” in Georgia

n 2017, the Georgian NGO IDroni organised a training for trainers with the EYF supported pilot activity “Turn Hate Off” from 14th and 20th of May 2017. 28 youth workers and trainers from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, were given new skills and knowledge to use in their Non-formal education activities. A special focus has been given to combating Hate Speech, from a content perspective but also through capacity building on tools and methods to disseminate the topic among their communities and youth NGOs.

The conference presented the the legal environments results of the Legal Research regarding online hate speech in Project on Online Hate Speech as different countries. a cybercrime and addressed the trend of online hate speech from During the conference, a criminal law perspective with the results of the research law students and young lawyers were discussed and several from 20 countries members of workshops explored specific the Council of Europe. case laws of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as The Legal Research Project was practical patterns and motives the setting up of a research of online hate speech. A final group, introduced by ELSA report was produced, collecting together with the Council of the legal status quo on online Europe, intended for exploring hate speech at national level, from 17 countries, members of the Council of Europe. “… a network of 41,000 law students became With this publication, Final Conference of Online aware of the importance distributed to 330 faculties, Hate Speech as a Cybercrime ELSA aimed at providing young programme in Norway of combating hate speech. legal professionals with a tool This success would not be to increase their awareness on LSA, Norvegian European achieved without the val- legal and moral considerations ELaw Students Association uable coordination of the related to online hate speech, organised the “Conference to contribute to legal education on Online Hate Speech” in Council of Europe and the and to foster a Europe wide December 2013 in Oslo as the support of the European approach to the challenges of final step of its operational plan Youth Foundation for the online hate speech. for 2012-2013 on informal legal education. organisation of a forum where young people ex- changed their ideas on this contemporary issue.” 2017: A year with No Hate

n 2017, the youth NGO World IStudent Christian Federation (WSCF)-Europe launched the ambitious project “A year with No Hate”, which received the support of the EYF within the framework of an annual work plan.

After a meeting in April 2017 in Vilnius, , a conference took place in Ireland in October 2017, where young people from all over Europe took part in a series of workshops, lectures and small group discussions to create mutual respect and enhance the understanding of topics such as At the end of the year, creative building diverse communities. and talented European young people participated in a photo From October to December competition. David Enriquez 2017, a photo competition on from won the first Diversity and Integration was prize with its picture “Breaking organised for creative young the Bubble”. The second prize people across Europe to share was awarded to the Serbian their best photographs reflecting Mirjam Balovski for the picture the topics of diversity and “Heart of hands” and the third integration (see below). one to Diana Yeghiazaryan from Armenia for her picture “Inside we are all the same humans”.

First Prize: “Breaking the Bubble” Second Prize: “Heart of hands” by Third Prize: “Inside we are all the by David Enriquez from Germany Mirjam Balovski from Serbia same humans” by Diana Yeghiazaryan from Armenia Young online activists combat hate speech manifestations of Anti- gypsyism

aving noticed that dominant Hmedia discourses construct the identity of Roma people around stereotypes, in addition to increased number of hate messages appearing in the virtual space, the German youth NGO Amaro Drom organised a training course in on 2 – 5 October 2014, to equip young Roma activists with the skills to recognise, expose and deconstruct online and offline manifestations of anti- Gypsyism.

The young activists analysed cases of hate speech against Roma on the news media and the social media platforms, including those concealed in seemingly neutral forms of expression. They became familiar with existing tools of online and offline activism and they learned how to react within the social media platforms and how to produce their own, visual materials for the purpose of anti-Gypsyism campaigning.

Two video spots were produced as an output of the project: a humorous video that puts a Roma family into “the shoes” of a German family with stereotypic perceptions, aiming to turn prejudices upside down.

And a spot where Roma youngsters present themselves with pride and invite people to challenge their prejudices. Both were widely disseminated through the social media platforms of the organisation and through diverse networks. Online Hate Speech It explored the main concepts publication developed by linked to hate speech and IGLYO, an International encouraged the sharing of Lesbian Gay Bisexual information as a way of young Transgender and Queer people to fight against all forms of discrimination. Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO) 1000 hard copies were printed and distributed via the mailing ublished in 2013, “IGLYO list of the organisation and POn Online Hate Speech” were made available at all explored the concept of hate IGLYO events and external speech in relation to freedom activities. The electronic of speech. It outlined the version was promoted situation in a wider European through IGLYO’s website, context and the development social media, and members’ of the national campaigns network as well as through of the No Hate Speech partner organisations. The Movement International and Lesbian, Gay, presented Bisexual, testimonies Transgender, related to Queer Youth online hate and Student speech from Organisation Norway estimates that and Italy. “IGLYO on Illustrated Online Hate narrative Speech” has was used directly reached to present to over 5000 some of the young people. key aspects of online hate speech.

The aim of this publication was to serve as a tool which Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) organisations and other youth NGOs could use in their work. It represented the experiences of LGBTQ youth regarding online hate speech, by presenting best practices and achievements in combating this phenomenon. Hundreds of pictures taken during the No Hate Speech Road Show organised by the Hungarian NGO Foundation of Subjective Values (FSV)

n awareness raising project, Athe “No Hate Speech Road Show” aimed to make the No Hate Speech Movement campaign (NHSM) more visible in , highlighting local issues and encouraging more people to act when seeing hate speech online. The target audience, high school and university students, was primarily reached through the placements of stands in 9 different locations. This included universities, high schools, music and wine festivals.

One outcome of the project, the “After the huge wave of “No Hate Road refugees entering Hungary Show 2014 Hungary” we feel it’s really crucial publication, presents to maintain the NHSM some of the hundreds movement for increasing the of photos taken during combat against hate speech, the project and a short discrimination and racism description for each one through online campaigns of the location events. The and discussion.” Foundation of Subjective Values (FSV) estimates to have directly reached out to 1800 young people. As a result of the Road Show, FSV gained more followers on social media channels and recruited new activists for their movement.