During the digital event “Towards the full recognition of LGBTI rights across Europe“ organised by the German Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on 5 May 2021, Michael Farrell, 2nd Vice-Chair of ECRI and Head of ECRI’s Task Force on LGBTI issues, underlined the role of online hate speech as a vehicle which fuels discrimination against LGBTI persons and political backsliding in this regard.

Referring to the recently published ECRI Annual Report for 2020, Mr Farrell stressed that ECRI observed trends in several Council of Europe member states of undermining the human rights of LGBTI persons as set out in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the country monitoring reports of ECRI. Mr Farrell stated that in order to counter backsliding, co-ordinated efforts are needed by all relevant human rights bodies and that the LGBTI communities affected by this backsliding need encouragement and support.

Mr Farrell also highlighted the importance of the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation (2010)5 to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity as the first commitment by an inter-governmental body to address the matter. Mr Farrell added that, following the adoption of this recommendation, ECRI took on the responsibility of addressing intolerance and discrimination against LGBTI persons in the context of its country monitoring work since 2013. A Factsheet summarising the relevant recommendations issued by ECRI was also published recently. In line with its 2019 roadmap for the years to come, ECRI is planning to set up, by the end of 2021, a working group to draw up a General Policy Recommendation on LGBTI issues.