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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Ambassador Camilleri Vettiger,
Commissioner McGrath,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 

It is an honour to join our partners from the European Commission and the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers to open No Hate Speech Week.

THE HUMAN COST OF HATE

There is an enormous amount of pain in the world — and in Europe — right now.

And too often, the answer is hate.

Just last week, hate struck again.

• In a school in Austria.
• In a classroom in France.
• In the streets of Northern Ireland.
• In homes of lawmakers in Minnesota.
• In Gaza. In Israel. In Iran.

Different causes. Different contexts.

But the same fuel: hate — driving violence, division, and instability in its wake.

Breaking the Logic of Hate

Yet, hate does not start with violence.

It starts with words.

With fear. With lies.

And if hate begins with words, it does not end there.

The Council of Europe has always been clear:

Hate speech and hate crime are not separate problems — they exist on a continuum.
From microaggressions and online abuse to open incitement and acts of violence, the logic is the same:

Dehumanise. Divide. Destroy.

I think this is exactly the logic we must break.

That is why the Committee of Ministers adopted two key Recommendations.

The first, in 2022, sets clear boundaries for combating hate speech:

• The most serious forms must be criminalised.
• Less severe forms must still be addressed — through administrative or civil law only.

And in 2024, a second Recommendation focused on hate crime.

That is why the Recommendations focus not only on how to respond to hate — but when.

Justice AND HATE SPEECH

Early this year, the European Court of Human Rights found that a state had failed to protect LGBT activists from public calls for exclusion and harassment.

There was no physical violence — only words intended to erase.

The Court recognised this as hate speech, and the failure to respond as a violation of fundamental rights.

In another recent judgment — this time by a national court in a member state — an organisation was held accountable for spreading disinformation and hate targeting a sexual education and health programme.

This court found that “Everyone has the right to their own beliefs. But fake news and hate endanger rather than protect children.”

It draws the line where it should be:
Between free expression and deliberate harm.

Tackling Hate at Every Level

But protecting democracy requires more than laws.

We have seen this in action across Europe:

• Journalists working directly with marginalised communities to bring untold stories into the public square.
• Local authorities creating safe spaces to confront stereotypes and misinformation.
• Community leaders helping people recognise and resist disinformation — not through censorship, but through connection.

Hate in the Digital Age

Which brings me to one of the most urgent threats we now face:

The mass production of hate — amplified in the digital age.

Because hate is not just spreading — it is being monetised, weaponised, and optimised.

Outrage gets clicks.

Clicks drive profit.

And the loudest, most extreme voices rise to the top.

That is why we need stronger platform accountability:

• Transparency on how content is ranked.
• Labelling of AI-generated speech.
• Real consequences when harmful content is boosted.

Because one danger must not replace another.

Regulation must be clear, proportionate, and grounded in the European Convention on Human Rights.

We must never trade democratic security for the illusion of order.

A New Democratic Pact for europe

When people disengage from civic life.

When voices go silent for fear of being attacked.

When truth is drowned out by distortion.

Democracy begins to disappear.

That is why we at the Council of Europe are working towards a New Democratic Pact for Europe.

And why hate speech has to be part of that conversation.

Not as some isolated issue.

But as part of a deeper challenge — to trust, to truth, to democracy itself.

This Pact rests on three pillars:

• Educate – giving people, especially young people, the tools to navigate disinformation and hate.
• Protect – by defending civic space and upholding legal standards.
• Innovate – by adapting our institutions to confront fast-moving, cross-border, hybrid threats.

CALL TO ACTION

Nelson Mandela once said:

“No one is born hating another person… People must learn to hate.”

Today, hate is being taught — in algorithms, in echo chambers, in silence.

That is where it begins.

And that is where we must act.

On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, let us commit — together — to unlearning hate, protecting truth, and strengthening democracy.

Thank you to our partners and to all who are leading this work.

We know that the task ahead is great.

But so is the urgency — and the responsibility — to meet it.

Thank you.