Newsletter N° 57, April 2017

Hate Speech are aggressive barriers preventing others to participate in our communities, especially online. Speaking up for each other’s rights is essential, for example on 8 April International Roma Day.
Taking action on hate speech means to strengthen human rights education, report hate speech and reclaim the Internet with Human Rights speech. The new manual
We CAN! is a tool to support campaigners to do so.

On 20 March the manual ‘We CAN! Taking action on hate speech through Counter and Alternative Narratives’ was launched in Strasbourg. Complementing the manual Bookmarks, ‘We CAN!’ presents communicative and educational approaches and tools for
youth and other human rights activists to develop their own counter and alternative narratives to hate speech. The rest of the week the new manual was put to use by 39 campaign activists from Europe, Morocco and Mexico.
Check out the No Hate Talk Video produced by the participants, the We CAN! video and find more information on the manual and its hand-outs online.

The recently launched revised manual Right to Remember is an educational resource to promote a deeper awareness of the Roma Genocide and on combatting
discrimination. On 10-14 April Educators and national leaders will strengthen their competences in remembrance education during a seminar in Heidelberg, Germany. The seminar is a preparation for the Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative 2017 which brings together 200 Youth in Krakow and Auschwitz on 2 August. The manual
complements Mirrors a manual on combatting antigypsyism through Human Rights Education which is now also available in Greek.

On 27-28 March the Council of Europe launched its Disability Strategy 2017-2023 at a conference in Nicosia,
Cyprus. A video interview explains the importance of taking action together. The strategy priority areas include equality
and non-discrimination; awareness-raising; and protection against all forms of violence. Hate Speech targeting persons with a disability remains unexposed, undermines their rights and adds yet another barrier to their
full participation in society. The campaign will raise awareness on the issue throughout the year until the International day for Persons with a Disability on 3 December.

On 22 March the City council of Oosterzele became a partner of the Flemish Campaign in Belgium. The municipality commits itself to encourage initiatives of local individuals and groups to foster tolerance and combat hate speech.

On 27 March the German campaign coordinator spoke on ‘Aljazeera Stream’ on the proposed new German Law on Hate Speech forcing social media platforms to take an active role in policing illegal hate speech on their sites.

The project Teachers Combat Hate Speech Online by the organization FORUM MNE provides 120 teachers from 6 vocational high schools in Montenegro with competences to deal with hate speech among students in a structured way. The teachers’ training programme is accredited by the Ministry of Education
and supported by the European Youth Foundation (EYF).

Two participants of the 5th school against hate speech training programme by CID, held a lecture on hate speech
at the gymnasium 'Goce Delchev' in Kumanovo, ‘the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia’. The 40 students aged 16 to 18 explored human rights, hate speech and how to react appropriate, find their video report online.

The ‘Keep calm & stop hate speech’ project consist of one-day awareness-raising events across Hungary equipping educators, directors and school psychologists of primary and secondary schools with information, tools
and experiences on combating hate speech. The project is implemented by Foundation of Subjective Values during this spring with support of the EYF.

On 3-6 April the World Culture Museum in Gothenburg hosted 25 activists and educators for a regional course based on Bookmarks. The events was jointly organised
with the Anna Lindh Foundation network of Sweden.

On 18-21 April the Portuguese Institute for Sports and Youth coordinator of the Portuguese campaign, with the participation of Movijovem,
will host 25 campaign activists and educators from Morocco, Italy, Malta, Spain, France and Portugal. The programme includes a community event on 20 April to introduce the campaign to the local youth in Porto, Portugal.

On 5 May Bookmarks in Estonian is launched during the forum ’Value dilemmas in youth work’ in Tallinn. The participating 60 Youth workers learn to work with
Bookmarks, explore the social role and responsibility of a youth worker, and value dilemmas that might occur.

On 21 June in Stavanger, Norway, Nordic and international experts, civil society activists, media and government representatives will review how best to combat hate speech, with an emphasize on gender-based hate speech
and youth perspectives. Go online for more information and to register.