On the week of 14-20 October we highlight the ‘European Local Democracy Week’ (ELDW), which is an annual European event where local authorities from all 47 member states of the Council of Europe organise public events to meet and engage with their citizens on issues of current interest.
There are obvious links between the root causes of hate speech and social cohesion, democracy and citizenship on the local levels, particularly when we speak about multicultural communities or exclusion of certain groups from the local community.
Instead of an Action Day, we propose an Action Week! The message of this week is simple: We can make a change at local level, because democracy and equality starts with us all. Hate speech is often fuelled locally. Local democracy is, therefore, about global dignity issues locally. You can find more information about this EAW on our platform.

1.

Report local incidents of hate speech on Hate Speech Watch: For example, hate speech against a group in a local community, or hate speech by a public official in a local community can be reported. This way we can better map the problem of hate speech in local community affairs and better understand the trends and extent of the problem. You can also report in your own language!

2.

Use the Campaign in Action blog to share good practices of actions taken by policy-makers and civil society on the local level to prevent hate speech and to promote participation and intercultural dialogue. You can submit articles, ideas and opinion pieces to action@nohatespeechmovement.org

3.

Prepare videos featuring policy-makers and civil society activists on good practices and actions taken to combat hate speech, racism and discrimination in your local community. Upload them to our Join the Movement page.

4.

Register on our Join the Discussion section, where online activists invite you to debate on the role of local democracy in combating hate speech.

Tuesday the 15 October 18:00 - 20.00 CET: ‘If they are elected by the people, they can say whatever they like,’ – a debate on hate speech in political speech from local leaders.

Thursday the 17 October 18:00 - 20.00 CET: ‘Hate speech is more than speech’ – discussing cases where hate speech has led to hate crime and what can we do about this.

Saturday 19 October 15:00 - 17:00 CET: ‘Start from your backyard’ – how to link offline and online mobilisation to fight hate speech at local level.

5.

Do it yourself! Create your own slogan or motto and place it somewhere visible offline or online to spread the message of participation and local democracy. Share photos of your posters and messages online!

6.

Connect! The ELDW has many initiatives, check if there is any happening close to you, attend them and spread the message, don’t forget to ask people to join the No Hate Speech Movement! Talk to us on Twitter at @nohate_speech #nohatespeech

CAMPAIGN NEWS

European Campaign Conference:The deadline for applicants to our major conference on 7-9 November, including the online activists and bloggers seminar on 4-5 November, is now closed. All applicants will be informed of attendance shortly.

Azerbaijan: The ‘International Forum for National Campaign Committees’, which took place 27-28 September in Baku was an event showcasing the Movement to civil society and media in Azerbaijan. NGOs and media took part and promoted the event. The Minister of Youth and Sport stated the full commitment of his ministry to the campaign. The director of the Azerbaijan Youth Foundation announced that the foundation will provide financial support to campaign projects in 2014. Check out this video of the event.

Armenia: The ‘Youth Events Holding Center’ of Armenia, coordinator for the campaign in Armenia, announced a photo contest for expressions of peace and tolerance, and the winner with the most ‘shares’ on Facebook was chosen as the winner. Nelli Gishyan, a young online activist and member of the No Hate Speech Movement won the competition with her photo. Congratulations!

Spain: A national seminar on "Initiatives for the No Hate Speech Movement campaign – European campaign against intolerance on the Internet” will be organised on 24-25 October in Mollina by InJuve, the Spanish Youth Institute, coordinator of the campaign in Spain. The seminar will prepare the main activities and projects to be carried out in Spain during the campaign. http://www.injuve.es/en/evento/campana-contra-la-intolerancia-en-internet

Romania: The No Hate Speech Movement will be presented at ‘Civil society: trends in working with children and youth’ conference in Bucharest on 14-15 October. At this event hate speech in Romania will be examined, with the findings and trends presented. Human Rights online, youth and combating hate speech are at the forefront of this seminar.