At the INACH 20th Anniversary Conference, Tarlach McGonagle, member of the former Committee of Experts on combating hate speech and the CoE secretariat presented the recently adopted Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)16 on Combating Hate Speech.

The introduction emphasised the comprehensive and multi-stakeholder approach outlined in the Recommendation, covering legal, policy and other measures such as awareness raising, education, use of counter speech, providing support services, monitoring, coordination and co-operation.

A detailed review of relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and legal provisions outlined in the recommendation were presented. Participants also learned of the Council of Europe’s initiatives to support member states and other key stakeholders’ efforts to ensure the implementation of the recommendation.

The Council of Europe’s recommendation was appreciated for being a valuable tool for civil society organisations to engage with national authorities and other key stakeholders to effectively prevent and combat hate speech.