6 February, 2017

Newsletter N° 55, February 2017

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Eric Miller

9 am

United for a Better Internet

Dear Subscriber,

Join the global Safer Internet day call ‘Be the change: United for a Better Internet!’ on 7 February. Making internet a safe and engaging space for children and youth has
been a driving force in the campaign. The need for good Human Rights Education that enables children and youth to be democratic citizens in our multi-cultural societies and online communities is clear.

Action Day

Action Day for a Better Internet!

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To be the chance, we need to act. If you had the power, what would you do to make the Internet better? This and other questions will be posted on social media for the action day. They can also be the basis for educational activities and street actions. Activities from Bookmarks (eg.
Confronting Cyberbullying and Our rights online)
empower youth to deal with cyberbullying, hate speech and motivate them to become human rights promoters. Throughout the day personal stories of youth that overcame cyberbullying and inspiring examples of educational initiatives are shared. Unite for the Action Day, call for education on human rights, internet literacy and give visibility to all the actions using
#nohatespeech and #SID2017.

News

Safer Internet Day 2017

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Each year more local, national and international partners join the global Safer Internet Day (SID) events. Their website provides information on the day,
resources and lists national activities organised for SID. Join online the Thunderclap action. Safer Internet Day is a yearly initiative organised by the joint Insafe-INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, with funding provided by the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF).

Call to update Hate Speech Recommendation

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On 25 January the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a Resolution on ending cyber discrimination and online hate calling on Member States to take measures and recognise the diverse grounds on which people are targeted; the rapidly evolving forms of online hate; and the media through which it is disseminated. Following the resolutions’
adoption the PACE adopted a Recommendation, calling on the Committee of Ministers to update its Recommendation No. R
(97) 20 on “hate Speech” and reconsider declaring 22 July the “European Day for Victims of Hate Crime”. A call also advocated for by the campaign activists and one of the findings of the 2015 conference “The end of
the beginning…?”.

National Campaigns

France: National Campaign launched

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On 26 January the French national campaign was launched by the coordinating NGO LICRA at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg in the presence of youth activists, and representatives
of human rights organisations, the Inter-ministerial Delegation to the Fight against Anti-LGBT Racism, Anti-Semitism and Hatred (DILCRAH), the French Ministry of Youth
and Sport. A photo report and the campaign contact details are online.

Belgium: youth react

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In support of SID Bureau International Jeunesse organises a training on reacting to online hate and bullying for youth between 12 and 17 years. They will follow two one day workshops
in January and February, a series of online games and join the #CyberCRACCS campaign platform.

Video competition: how to counter hate speech

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On 13 February the Flemish campaign launches the WeetWa vloggers competition in cooperation with YouTube and MNM the youth radio channel of Flanders,
Belgium. Youth between 13-30 years can submit video’s describing how to counter hate speech. Throughout this week campaign partners will discuss in radio interview possible counter and alternative narratives to rebuke
hate speech.

Campaign Partners

Confront your labels

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Through the ‘Our Gold’ youth project, 70 young people from Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia, Germany, France, Italy and Turkey reflected on their experiences with
hate speech and religious intolerance as targets and perpetrators. Through creative tools they challenged their own stereotypes and developed counter narratives. How? See their blog post and video.

Video: Hate to Love

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The Georgian youth network Human Rights Association published the video “Hate to Love” as part of their project “Let's
Bookmarks it!” The European Youth Foundation supported pilot activity gives participants the necessary tools to fight hate speech online and to promote
human rights using the Bookmarks manual.

Upcoming Events

Conference on Hate and Conspiracies

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On 13 February European parliamentarians, journalists, bloggers and activists will review the reasons, connections and consequences of online hate and conspiracy ideologies. It aims to strengthen strategies for counteractions
and countermeasures. The conference is held at the Bundestag in Berlin on the initiative of the German members of the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance.

Mobilising Rural Campaign Activists

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On 1-3 March the Youth Club for Intercultural Dialogue, Democracy and Peace will train youth workers from rural areas to combat hate speech and set up a network of No Hate
Speech multipliers active in rural areas of Armenia.

3rd Human Rights Meeting in France

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The International Institute for Human Rights and Peace organises an international conference titled ‘Do the Right thing(s)’ on Human rights in the digital era. Young people from Italy, Croatia and France will seek concrete solutions to counter hate speech online. Additional 1000 high school students from Normandy will participate in the
project, on 2-3 March in Caen, France.