11 December 2012

Step in! Be Active Against Racist Propaganda and Hate Speech Online!

lossy-page1-250px-UNITED_logo.tiffFrom 9 to 15 December 2012, GEYC takes part at ”Step in! Be Active Against Racist Propaganda and Hate Speech Online!” study session in Strasbourg, France. The event is organized by United for Intercultural Action and Youth Department from Council of Europe.

UNITED is organising a special study session at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg, in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.

The session aims to train 35 young people to recognise and combat hate speech online. It will motivate and enable them to step in when they witness situations where racism, discrimination and hate speech are spread online.
Author: Sara Serrano

“Hate speech” is understood as covering all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, antisemitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including: intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of immigrant origin.

After the study session, participants will;
-Be aware that intolerance, racist incidents and hate speech are widespread and they can be confronted with in it everyday life
-Know how to recognise situations where racism, discrimination and hate speech are expressed online
-Know and be able to apply a range of options to react to racism, discrimination and hate speech online

The session will take an interactive approach, so participants are encouraged to contribute their own experiences, expertise and ideas, bring along examples and good practices from their own countries and fields, and debate the use of possible interventions. The programme will include; sharing experiences, examining case studies, identifying trends relating to racism in Europe, visiting relevant Council of Europe institutions, an overview of mechanisms to combat hate speech online, understanding the impact of hate speech on victims, learning how to apply and use tools, and formulating concrete action plans to follow up.

We will use a combination of peer-to-peer learning, simulations, group discussions, exercises, debates and expert presentations to engage participants with the key issues.