With hate speech and hate crime rising at a frightening rate, civil society, citizens and institutions are joining forces and stepping up action against all forms of hatred, to send the message that there is no place for hate in the EU. 

The EESC is joining EU efforts to curb hatred in the EU, which has seen an alarming spike, with groups and individuals increasingly being targeted due to their faith, racial or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation or political beliefs. 

The EESC, together with citizens and institutions, is committed to doing more to fight hatred both online and offline, it said during a high-level debate at its May plenary session, where it adopted the opinion No place for Hate: a Europe united against hatred, denouncing all forms of hatred and welcoming the European Commission Communication on the same topic. 

‘We all have a responsibility to combat hatred’, said EESC President Oliver Röpke, opening the debate at the EESC plenary session. ‘To effectively tackle it, we must all work together – politicians, civil society and citizens. Only together and in dialogue can we prevail and fight the increasing hostility in our society, which is a true threat to our democracy.’

The debate brought together top European Commission and Belgian government officials and representatives of citizens and civil society organisations (including ILGA-Europe and the European Network Against Racism (ENAR)) who highlighted the rise in hate and violence. 

Recent attacks on politicians have exposed deep divisions within European society. Figures show that anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic messages doubled in 2023. Common targets are LGBTQIA+, people of African descent and migrants. Misogyny is also running high. A recent analysis of online messages in the EU shows that there has been a 30% increase in hate toxicity since early 2023. 

The Commission’s Communication on No Place for hate: A Europe united against hatred is a call for action to stand up against hatred and to speak up for tolerance and respect. 

‘The values set out in the EU Treaty clearly outlaw hate crime and hate speech. Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in both lately’, said Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica.

In its opinion, the EESC called on the EU to adopt a comprehensive approach to fighting hate based on any protected human characteristics, and to use the same approach to ‘fight all types of hate’. (ll)