The Council is expected to adopt a decision to include hate speech and hate crimes among criminal offenses within the meaning of Article 83(1) TFEU (so-called “EU crimes”) by the end of the current legislature, indicates Parliament in the report adopted Thursday by 397 votes for, 121 against and 26 abstentions. These are particularly serious offenses with a cross-border dimension, for which the Parliament and the Council can establish minimum rules to define criminal offenses and sanctions.
Need for a uniform approach to combating hate
MEPs seek to ensure universal protection for all, paying particular attention to targeted individuals and vulnerable groups and communities. Currently, member states’ criminal laws treat hate speech and hate crimes in different ways, while EU-wide rules only apply when such speech and hate crimes are committed. on the basis of race, skin color, religion, ancestry or national or ethnic origin.
Faced with rising hatred in Europe, two years have passed since the Commission’s corresponding proposal was presented and the Council has made no progress on it. MEPs are calling for “bridging clauses” to be used to overcome the obstacles posed by the need for unanimity.
Consider the circumstances victims face
Parliament calls on the Commission to consider an “open” approach, in which grounds for discrimination are not limited to a closed list, to ensure that the rules cover incidents motivated by new and changing social dynamics. It emphasizes that freedom of expression, as crucial as it is, must not be exploited as a shield against hatred and emphasizes that misuse of the Internet and the business model of social media platforms contributes to the spread and to the amplification of hate speech.
MEPs also call for particular attention to be paid to minors, particularly in matters of school harassment and cyberbullying, and call for a solid framework for victims, with an intersectional approach, training for relevant professionals and measures guaranteeing safe access to justice, specialized support. and repairs, as well as a safe environment to increase incident reporting.
Citation
Rapporteur Maite PAGAZAURTUNDÚA (Renew, Spain) commented: “In addition to the absence of a comprehensive European legal framework to combat hate speech and hate crimes, we are faced with a new social dynamic, through which the normalization of hatred is evolving very quickly. We must protect ourselves as a society and protect those who are attacked, persecuted and harassed, while responding to radical networks and extreme polarization that provide fertile ground for behavior that violates fundamental rights. We call on the Council to finally give the green light to legislation against hate crime and hate speech at EU level, always respecting the principle of proportionality and guaranteeing citizens’ freedom of expression.”
Lien source
Originally published in The European Times.
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