Discours

Retour Coordination meeting on anti-Muslim hatred/racism

As delivered by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Good morning, everyone.

I am very pleased to be here today for this coordination meeting on anti-Muslim hatred and racism — one year after we first came together in Strasbourg to launch this effort.

I want to thank you, Commissioner Brunner, and our EU colleagues for hosting us in Brussels, and in particular Ms Marion Lalisse and her team for their partnership in moving this work forward. By standing together, the Council of Europe and the European Commission send a clear and united message that confronting anti-Muslim hatred and racism requires a strong, international response.

***

We meet at a moment when millions of our fellow Muslim Europeans are observing the holy month of Ramadan — a time of reflection, unity, and community. It is also a reminder of the diversity that strengthens our societies and the values that bind us together.

Today, those values are under attack.

We have seen the numbers from the latest survey of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

Nearly one in two Muslims has faced racial discrimination in the past five years.
Four in ten report bias when applying for a job.
One in three has been denied housing because of their religion.

And the list goes on…

You have also seen terrible stories in the news.

This summer, when a 11-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Toledo, Spain, false claims blaming Muslims flooded social media within hours.

Just weeks earlier, rumours wrongly accused Muslims of the stabbing that took the lives of three children in Southport, United Kingdom.

Different places. Different tragedies. But the same scapegoats. The same hatred towards Muslims.

***

This is what we are up against.

Every time your name alone is enough to have your job application thrown out.
Every time you try to rent an apartment, and suddenly the price goes up or the listing disappears.
Every time you send your child to school, and they come home saying they were mocked for how they look, what they eat, or what they believe.
Every time false claims about Muslims spread, they lead to real threats, real violence, and real fear.

Every time these things happen, justice, equality, and democracy

are at stake.

That is why we are here today: to reject anti-Muslim hatred and fight discrimination in all its forms.

***

The Council of Europe, as a standard-setting organization, plays a key role in providing the necessary tools to tackle these challenges head-on – and to advise governments.

Let me give you two concrete examples.

First, the Recommendation on Combating Hate Speech, adopted by all our 46 member states in 2022.

It calls on our member states to take action, ensuring responses to hate speech are effective and proportionate. This key tool also emphasizes the importance of context — considering not just the content of the speech, but its political and social impact, as well as the intent behind it.

My second example is from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) — and its General Policy Recommendation No. 5, revised in 2021.

This recommendation is really helpful and it is based on three very clear principles: prevention, protection, and prosecution.

Prevention means taking action early, signalling that anti-Muslim racism will never be tolerated.

Protection calls on authorities to safeguard Muslim individuals, communities and their institutions — encouraging cooperation and recognising the primary responsibility of member states.

Prosecution makes clear that those who commit hate crimes must be held accountable. There is no room for impunity.

***

I look around the room, and I am very pleased to see that the United Nations, the OSCE and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are well-represented today.

This reflects the same spirit of international cooperation and coordination that we emphasized at our first meeting last year.

I am confident that these Coordination Meetings will provide us with a full picture of what is happening across Europe, a space to share best practices, and a foundation for real action.

I hope to see these meetings lay the groundwork for an international network that keeps this work moving forward, strengthens coordination, and builds momentum long after we leave this room.

As we move forward, let us be concrete and focus our efforts on: