Newsletter N° 62, September 2017

Hate speech against Muslims is fuelled by xenophobic and discriminatory narratives. On 21 September the Action Day therefore calls for education and dialogue between communities to debunk the stereotypes and stand together
for human rights for all. Get inspired by the night of temples in Poland and elsewhere, join the Action Day, let’s start the conversation…

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance 2016 annual report highlights that Muslims continue to
experience discrimination in various areas of social life, expressed through hate speech, violence or ethnic and religious profiling. Muslim women wearing visible religious symbols are particularly vulnerable to discrimination
due to the intersectionality of gender and religion. The Action Day countering hate speech against Muslims challenges the dichotomy between “us” and “them” in the public discourse because our human rights must be defended together. The seminar “Educational Responses to Islamophobia in Europe” organised with the OSCE reaffirms
the importance of education for human rights and intercultural learning. The Council of Europe co-published with UNESCO and OSCE also the ‘Guidelines for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims’.
Take action for 21 September: Support the Thunderclap, Organise an open door event or an educational activity,
upload your photo message or use these templates to debunk stereotypes and share them online to challenge myths about Muslim.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance 2016 annual report identified among others a strong
surge of nationalistic populism, often generating and fuelling xenophobic discourse and creating an atmosphere in which hate speech, and ultimately violence, were able to thrive. ECRI also expressed concern about the
response of several member states to the Islamist terror attacks noting incidence of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies and undermining of the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination.

The report of the seminar on combatting antisemitic hate speech reviews the situation of antisemitism and antisemitic
hate speech in Europe today. The report provides definitions, approaches, examples of successful project and recommendations for future actions to combat it including through the campaign, such as the Action Day for 9 November 2017.

A new publication ”Media Regulatory authorities and hate speech” explores cases of hate speech throughout Southeast Europe and provides
recommendations and describes mechanisms for fighting and preventing it.

On 16 September Mosques, Churches, Synagogues and other religious temples in Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow opened their doors for the 3rd Night of Temples. Visitors
could talk, ask questions, and challenge their prejudices and stereotypes about a particular religion. The night marked the Action Day countering hate speech against Muslims and International Peace Day promoting Poland as a multicultural, diverse and open country.

On 24, 26 and 27 August the Flemish campaign tested the new AlterNarrative tools to help people recognize hate speech and create effective counter and alternative narratives based on We CAN!. The tools include a chatbox for Messenger,
posters with FAQ, and two-hour trainings for teachers and youth workers. It will be launched 23 September during the Flemish Peace Week.

bOJA, the Centre of competence for Open Youth Work in Austria, will present five videos dealing with hate speech in the coming months. Youth reporters from
Vienna will document different actions in Youth Centres all over Austria dealing with hate speech. Check out the first video of a Youth Centre in Bad Aussee: Free hugs für everyone!

Hate Crime – A guide for those affected, produced by Community Security Trust (CST) and Tell MAMA, provides guidance and advice for victims and witnesses of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate crime. It explains how to navigate the criminal justice system,
react to and report a hate crime in the United Kingdom.

The new platform Stop Hate Speech and Crime provides information and reporting mechanism for hate speech and violence against LGBTQI persons.

On 21 September various mosques in the seven districts of Amsterdam will open their doors to celebrate the Action Day and International Peace Day.
The open day will strengthen connection between neighbourhood residents, promoting mutual respect and interest in each other’s cultures and religions. The NHSM Netherlands team established the initiative in partnership with the mosques, Amsterdam police and Facebook.

On 22 September the Belgium campaigns will co-organise a seminar in Brussels to review preventive and reactive actions to address radicalisation and promotion of violent extremism online, with and for youth.

Until Mid-November the organisation "League of Tolerance" will organise a series of courses combining human rights education with grassroots sport education using
non-formal methods. For info and to register check: Play for Human Rights!. The project is supported
by the European Youth Foundation.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights