The No Hate Speech Week 2025, 17-20 June 2025, provides space to exchange on recent legal and policy developments and good practices of implementation, innovations and foster synergies between key partners. The presence of different stakeholders provides networking opportunities that can enable a comprehensive and multi-stakeholder approach to preventing and combating hate speech in the member States.

The Week gathers a wide range of stakeholders who engage in preventing and combating hate speech, including representatives of national authorities, public figures and political bodies, CSOs active at European and national levels, equality bodies and Ombudsoffices, academia, internet industry, international organisations, and EU bodies

The Week is organised by the Anti-discrimination Department of the Council of Europe in the framework of a EU-CoE joint project and supported by the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe.

Theme for 2025: “Enhance legal and non-legal measures against hate speech through a multi-stakeholder approach”

The CM Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)16 invites member States, in-line with the European Convention of Human Rights and related case-law, to define when hate speech should be prohibited under criminal, civil or administrative law. When developing and implementing policies, legislation, strategies and action plans to prevent and combat hate speech, member States should balance the need to protect the rights of those targeted by hate speech with the right to freedom of expression.

In practice, states address the most serious cases of hate speech through criminal law, and sometimes in parallel through civil law with regard to compensation. Less severe cases are dealt with through administrative or civil law only. Criminalising the most serious cases of hate speech also serves as a message that freedom of expression should be limited when it denigrates people and attacks their dignity and rights.

Participants
The week will gather over 100 participants from various Council of Europe member states active on combating hate speech. The participants represent CSOs active at European and national levels, national authorities, Equality bodies and Ombudsoffices, academia, internet industry, elected officials, governmental representatives, and representatives working in the media, sports sector, and local or regional authorities.

Programme of the week
The 3-day conference aims to inform and facilitate peer-to-peer exchange of knowhow and practice and will therefore deploy a variety of methodological approaches, including plenary session, workshops and the networking fair.
 
Consult the detailed programme on the following link in English or by navigating the tabs below.
 

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

 


Arrival of participants
16.00    Registration at the Palais de l’Europe
17:00     Setting up the Fair of promising practices and tools at the Palais (optional)

 

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

8.15       Registration at the Palais de l’Europe in front of Room 1 and 2
9:00       Welcome and technical announcements, Room 1

9:15        Plenary: Official opening of the No Hate Speech Week and marking of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Room 1

10:00     Break (coffee & tea served next to Room 2)

10:30     Plenary: Combating hate speech through non-legal measures and multi-stakeholder cooperation: Public campaigns and Human Rights Narratives, Room 1

  • Presentation of the study on the effectiveness of counter and alternative narratives to combat hate speech, Council of Europe

  • Presentation of the guidelines on public campaigning principles against hate speech and hate crime, Ministry of Interior of Austria

Plenary discussion
12:00     Lunch break

13:30    Practical workshops in parallel – block A (90 minutes)

​​​Meeting of the work stream on improving public information on hate crime and hate speech under the EU High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime (invitation only, Room 16)


15:00     Break and switch rooms (coffee & tea served next to Room 2)

15:30     Practical workshops in parallel - block B 

Meeting of the work stream on improving public information on hate crime and hate speech under the EU High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime (invitation only, Room 16)

17:00     Reception for No Hate Speech Week Foyer of the Committee of Ministers

Award ceremony for ethical media reporting on Roma & Fair of promising practices and tools

Closing at 20:00

Thursday, 19 June 2025

 

9:15       Plenary: Welcome and technical announcements of the day, Palais de l’Europe, Room 1
09.30    Plenary: Opening of the Conference on Preventing and combating hate crime
Björn Berge, Council of Europe’s Deputy Secretary General
Alexander Tortell, Human Rights Directorate, Office of the Prime Minister of Malta

10.00     Plenary: Preventing and combating hate crime including criminalised hate speech, Room 1 
11:15     Break (coffee & tea served next to Room 2)
11.45     Practical workshops in parallel – block C (75 minutes)

12:45 Lunch break
14:00     Hate Speech and Media Seminar “Old habit, new fronts: tackling hate speech against journalists and other media actor” -  thematic plenary session with the members of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) in the framework of the Journalists Matter : Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists. (Room 1)

15:30    Break (coffee & tea served next to Room 2)

16:00     Practical workshops in parallel – block D (90 minutes)

17:30     Networking space at the Fair of promising practices and tools, Foyer of the Committee of Ministers
18:00     Evening programme (movie screening ) and Networking fair (continued)

Friday, 20 June 2024


9:00       Plenary: Opening of the Democracy Firewall Hackaton and Democratic Debates, Hemicycle of the Council of Europe
In parallel: Conference workshop: Specific guidance for prosecutors on combating hate crime (with CDADI), Room 6

10:30     Break (coffee & tea served next to Room 2)

10:45     Practical Workshops in parallel – block E (75 minutes)

In parallel: First democratic debate: Disinformation and Gender Equality, Hemicycle of the Council of Europe

12:00     Lunch break

14:00     Closing plenary – taking stock of the Week, Room 1
               Testimonies from participants
Concluding remarks:
Francesca Camilleri Vettiger, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malta to the Council of Europe
Tommaso Chiamparino, Team Leader, Fundamental Rights Policy, DG Justice and Consumers, European Commission, (online)
Closing of the No Hate Speech Week 2025:
Thorsten Afflerbach, Head of Inclusion and Anti-discrimination programmes Division, Anti-discrimination Department, Council of Europe

15:00     Departures
and/or
15:00 – 22:00: Join the programme of the Democracy Firewall Hackaton and Democratic Debates, Hemicycle of the Council of Europe.

Workshops
The programme of the Week includes a variety of workshops on range of topics co-organised with civil society partners, Council of Europe services and international partners. The workshops aim to be practical and facilitate exchange of experiences, resources, and tools. Read more about the workshop content below.

Block A - 18 June / Wednesday, 13:30-15:00

A1 Countering disinformation on local level

Intercultural Cities Programme, Council of Europe

The workshop "Intercultural Tools for Cities Addressing Information Disorder" will offer two interlinked sessions on 18 and 19 June 2025, designed to equip local authorities, community actors and civil society with effective tools to counter disinformation through the intercultural approach of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) programme. The first session on 18 June will focus on understanding how disinformation operates at the local level—particularly how it targets vulnerable groups and undermines community cohesion—while building a common theoretical foundation among participants.
Together, the sessions demonstrate how the ICC’s intercultural approach can strengthen trust, resilience, and inclusion at the local level. The training will highlight the critical role cities play in resisting disinformation and fostering democratic, cohesive societies.

Room 2              Wednesday, 13:30-15:00


A2 Countering anti-rights narratives: early warnings and best practices. Analysis of the escalation and impact of anti-LGBTIQ violence and hate speech in the Council of Europe region
Council of Europe Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit
Presentation of the findings of two studies commissioned by the SOGIESC Unit on the impact of the anti-right movement to identify the root causes contributing to anti-LGBTIQ disinformation, misinformation, negative stereotyping, hate speech, and incitement to violence. The studies provide an overview of the different forms of impact of anti-gender movements in the region, identify the early warning signs of anti-gender movements in an attempt to prevent the further escalation of anti-LGBTIQ violence and hate speech in the region and analyse strategies, awareness raising campaigns and initiatives to counter and prevent anti-LGBTIQ hate speech and violence.

Room   8            Wednesday, 13:30-15:00

 

A3 Countering hate speech through a victim centred approach                 

Faculty of Law of the University of Porto, Portugal; Gender Stream, Ukraine

This session explores how victim-centred and restorative approaches can strengthen responses to hate speech and hate crimes. Drawing on findings from the VicTory Project and practical experience from Ukraine’s Gender Stream NGO, the workshop highlights victims’ needs, cross-sector cooperation strategies, and tools for empowering both institutions and affected communities. Participants will engage in practical exercises, case discussions, and peer exchange.

Room 3              Wednesday, 13:30-15:00

 

A4 Combating hate speech on and with media

Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen e.V.; Germany, Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans, Serbia

Both the Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans and Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen monitor the media in six countries in the Western Balkans and in Germany. The session presents the connection between media reporting and harmful language and hate speech on social media. In the workshop, the participants can discover the analysis methods used by the organisations and together discuss harmful narratives, racist and discriminatory wording and stereotypical images using examples from the media. Furthermore, it will analyse the sentiments behind harmful content and how to respond to them sensitively and effectively.

Room 1              Wednesday, 13:30-15:00

Block B - 18 June / Wednesday, 15:30 - 16:45

B1 Using AI tools in monitoring and countering Hate speech

CESIE, Italy; ALDA, Italy; Centre for Citizenship Education Foundation, Poland
This workshop will explore how artificial intelligence can support efforts to monitor, detect, and counter online hate speech. Speakers will share experiences from SafeNet, Stand Up and Hatedemics projects, highlighting AI’s role in identifying harmful content and tackling disinformation (including education of young people). The session will also examine good practices, methodologies, and challenges in applying AI in this context.

Room   2            Wednesday, 15:30-16:45

 

B2 Strategic litigation

Asociación Española contra las Terapias de Conversión. Spain, Social Action Centre NGO Ukraine

The workshop presents the strategic litigation work of both organisation. The Social Action Centre will share on their cases of indirect discrimination claims and on hate crimes cases and how these links with their advocacy efforts to improve legislation and data collection.  The Asociación Española contra las Terapias de Conversión will share a factual scenario, a legal strategy behind it and the interpretation of the European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence and the Spanish law in a specific case they are preparing against a social networking platform.

Room 6           Wednesday, 15:30-16:45

 

B3 Map and counter hate narratives on social media: the narratives and actors

Inclusive Europe, Belgium, Justice for Prosperity Foundation, the Netherlands

Justice for Prosperity & Inclusive Europa will illustrate how hate is used as a vehicle by the anti-rights movement to subversively destabilise democracy within Europe and beyond. Numerous examples will be discussed, and subsequently, lessons learned will be shared to encourage participants to use their networks across Europe and beyond to strengthen the work ahead of us within a new era of opposition. Together, we will plan to combat online hate towards marginalised communities exploited by extremists, populists, ultra-conservatives, and oligarchs.

Room 3              Wednesday, 15:30-16:45

 

B4      Combating sexist hate speech

Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence Against Women, Moldova; #StopFisha, France     

The workshop aims to raise awareness and provide both theoretical and practical tools for identifying, preventing, and combating sexist hate speech, with a focus on the online environment. Through interactive discussions and examples, participants will explore key concepts, recent trends, and effective responses.

Room 1              Wednesday, 15:30-16:45

 

B5 Unlocking opportunities: how the Digital Services Act can and should empower civil society

INACH, the Netherlands, Textgain, Belgium    

This workshop will provide the latest updates from INACH on the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), including a brief overview of the DSA, the role of Trusted Flaggers, the current landscape, and existing gaps or challenges. We will then dive into how artificial intelligence can support the reporting of illegal hate speech under the DSA. Textgain will showcase the European Observatory of Online Hate — an AI-powered tool designed to strengthen and enhance the efforts of Trusted Flaggers and law enforcement agencies. Together, we will engage in a collective exploration of practical, constructive solutions for improving DSA implementation and maximizing its impact.

Room 8              Wednesday, 15:30-16:45

Block C - 19 June / Thursday, 11:45-12:45

                                                          

C1 Conference workshop: Criminalised online hate speech, reporting, working with police and victim referral

Workshop as part of the Council of Europe Conference on Preventing and Combating Hate Crime, Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI) in parallel to the plenary meeting of the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), under the Presidency of Malta of the Committee of Ministers
The workshop explores Council of Europe and European Union’s standards on criminalised online hate speech, with inputs from the European Commissions’ DG Justice and Consumers, Meldestelle REspect! Germany and Hate Aid.
Room 1              Thursday, 11:45-12:30
 

C2 Conference workshop: Specific challenges for prosecuting/sentencing criminalised hate speech and training for police offers

Workshop as part of the Council of Europe Conference on Preventing and Combating Hate Crime in cooperation with the Council of Europe Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit
This session provides an overview of key human rights standards relevant to policing hate crimes against LGBTI persons, along with practical exercises to reinforce the application of these principles in investigations.
Room 6              Thursday, 11:45-12:45
 

C3 Examples of combating misinformation at a local level              

ADL Zavidovici, Italy; Leeds City Council and Camden municipality, United Kingdom
Misinformation, rumours and stereotypes thrive within local communities and can lead to prejudice and hatred. Resources to tackle it at such a local level are often not available. This session will look at strategies adopted by Leeds and Camden (members of the Intercultural Cities programme) in the 'Brave Spaces' project and Brescia in the +gentile project to build participants' confidence in working locally to build more informed and harmonious communities.
Room 16           Thursday, 11:45-12:45
 

C4 Hate speech targeting Roma

Global Forum on Discrimination (GFOD), ERGO network, Belgium, Inštitút ľudských práv - Human Rights Institute, Slovakia, Minority Rights Group Europe, Hungary    "
This workshop explores how hate speech targeting Roma communities is rooted in systemic racism and reinforced through media, institutions, and public discourse. Drawing from research on racial profiling and examples of anti-hate campaigns across Europe, we will share good practices and engage participants in discussing effective responses.
Furthermore, a presentation of a campaign addressing hate speech targeting Roma in Slovakia and Hungary will be shared as a promising practice.
Room 2              Thursday, 11:45-12:45
C5 Practical Tools to Transform Hate into Inclusion – in Workplaces and Youth Spaces
WeAreOpen, Hungary, and bit&Byte Creative Technology Academy, Lithiuania
This interactive workshop allows participants to reflect on their own experiences with hate—whether at school, online, or in the workplace—and explore what could have made a difference. WeAreOpen will share its Inclusive Design methodology for building belonging at work, while bit&Byte will present its approach to tackling hate speech among youth online. 
Room 3              Thursday, 11:45-12:45

Block D - 19 June / Thursday, 16:00-17:30

                                           

D1 Conference workshop: Specific guidance on hate crime for police

Workshop as part of the Council of Europe Conference on Preventing and Combating Hate Crime      
The workshop includes exchange with a member of the CDADI Working group on hate speech and hate crime, the Bureau for the Investigation of Hate Crimes, Romania, the European LGBT Police Association (EGPA), and the European Roma Rights Centre
Room 6              Thursday, 16-17:30
 

D2 Countering disinformation on local level

Intercultural Cities Programme, Council of Europe
The workshop "Intercultural Tools for Cities Addressing Information Disorder" will offer two interlinked sessions on 18 and 19 June 2025, designed to equip local authorities, community actors and civil society with effective tools to counter disinformation through the intercultural approach of the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) programme. The second session on 19 June will build directly on the insights and shared experiences of the first, introducing practical, intercultural strategies to prevent the spread of false information and reduce its harmful effects. Together, the sessions demonstrate how the ICC’s intercultural approach can strengthen trust, resilience, and inclusion at the local level. The training will highlight the critical role cities play in resisting disinformation and fostering democratic, cohesive societies.              
Room 2              Thursday, 16-17:30
 

D3 Ethical reporting on LGBTI issues for journalists, organised by the SOGIESC Unit

Council of Europe Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit           
Interactive workshop on how to ensure LGBTIQ events and issues are reported in a fair, accurate and inclusive way given the current appetite for sensationalism, possible backlash, risk of discrimination/being the target of hate speech/hate crime and risk of SLAPPs, among others.
Room 3              Thursday, 16-17:30
 

D4 Reporting and countering hate speech with young people

ERGO Network, Belgium; APICE and No hate speech movement Italy
Presenting experiences and practices from the Together Against Antigypsyism Online (TAAO) project, an EU-funded initiative on monitoring and countering online hate speech targeting Roma communities, with a particular emphasis on building evidence-based responses and empowering Roma youth to take the lead in advocacy and reporting efforts. Another practice is the work of the No Hate Speech Movement in Italy, and youth work activities with young people in using social media to counter hate speech online.
Room 16           Thursday, 16-17:30

Block E - 20 June / Friday, 10:45-12:00


E1 Conference workshop: Victim support, prevention and data collection in relation to hate crime
Workshop as part of the Council of Europe Conference on Preventing and Combating Hate Crime
The workshop comprises exchange with the OSCE - Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and promising practices from Spain and United Kingdom.
Room 6              Friday, 10:45-12:00
 

E2 Education tools and activities against hate speech                       

Women's Issues Information Centre, Lithuania, Stopp hatprat, Norway
The workshop introduces Human Rights Education and non-formal learning approaches to discuss discrimination and hate speech. It consists of two practical activities “Green flag, red flag from the Women’s Issues Information Centre, and an activity based on Bookmarks manual on combating hate speech using human rights education.
Room   1            Friday, 10:45-12:00
 

E3 Advocating for better protection from discrimination and hate speech

GENDERDOC-M Information Center, Moldova, In IUSTITIA, Czechia
The workshop will cover the good practices of advocacy and campaigning for change in Moldova and Czechia. It explores experiences on engaging with decision-makers in hostile environments, advocacy methods and good practices and using creative tools to drive change on polarising topics. It will also include input on developing counter-narratives to combat prejudice against LGBTI persons.
Room   2            Friday, 10:45-12:00
 

E4 National level cooperation and networks

Italian network to combat hate speech and hate phenomena, Italy, Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen e.V., Germany, No Hate Speech Network, Slovakia
The session explores existing examples of national level networks on combating hate speech in Italy and Germany, as well as the No Hate Speech Network on European level. It will also explore opportunities to set up similar networks and cooperate on a national and European level.
Room 3              Friday, 10:45-12:00
 

E5 Learning tools and activities to counter hate speech online

Facing Facts Network (Belgium)
Presentation of online learning resources, and recent research about what supports our multi-stakeholder communities of practice to learn best online. The resources on hate speech, responses to share and briefing on the DSA as well as, a course on understanding and addressing hate speech will be shared with the participants.
Room 17           Friday, 10:45-12:00