On the occasion of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech (June 18), the UN in Serbia, in cooperation with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, the OSCE Mission and the Office of the Council of Europe in Belgrade, organized a debate on countering hate speech, where participants called on all relevant actors to increase efforts to address hate speech and divisive narratives.

Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, said that the atmosphere in public space contributes to the generation of various types of violence and that we should all be aware of how short the path is from verbal threats and conflicts to hate speech and their escalation into physical violence. Hate speech, humiliating and offensive behavior are prohibited by law, but the fight against such behavior and treatment cannot be reduced to legal mechanisms alone. Respect for the law by all social actors is mandatory and implies a unique condemnation of all hate speech, because this is the only way we can change the current social paradigm and create an environment in which different opinions and dissenters are respected, says Janković.

The participants in the debate, among whom were the Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Tomislav Žigmanov, the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia, Françoise Jacob, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Jan Braathu, and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper,  assessed that a significantly more inclusive dialogue is necessary, but also reminded that hate speech has become a global problem, which is why in 2021 the UN General Assembly expressed concern about the “exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech” around the world and adopted a resolution on “promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech”.