The Council of Europe set the stage for the session related to the Impact of the war - Protecting citizens in times of crisis at EuroDIG 2023. 

Citing the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the annual report of European Committee against Racisms and Intolerance (ECRI), the session outlined how Racist narratives to justify wars of aggression provoke tensions that jeopardise democratic stability.

Referring to the experience gained by national authorities and civil society during this and previous crises it was emphasised that democratic societies, its state institutions and other key stakeholders need to be properly prepared to prevent and combat hate speech and build resilience against disinformation, particularly in times of crises.

The session underlined the need for a clear and carefully calibrated legal framework, multi-stakeholder cooperation, including with civil society organisations and Internet intermediaries, and the importance of public information and education measures to address hate speech and disinformation. The Council of Europe, Recommendation CM/Rec (2022)16 on Combating Hate Speech was introduced for it provides guidance to member states and other relevant stakeholders towards a comprehensive and properly calibrated set of legal and non-legal measures to prevent and combat hate speech on- and offline, within strong human rights framework.

Emphasising the importance of work of journalists and quality media coverage as a counterweight against disinformation, the principles from relevant Council of Europe and other international standards on Journalism in situations of conflict and aggression were also presented.

For more on the Council of Europe engagement at EuroDIG 2023 see: Council of Europe Actively Engages in EuroDIG 2023 to Strengthen Digital Governance - Freedom of Expression (coe.int).

Find the key messages from EuroDIG 2023 at Messages from Tampere › EuroDIG