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Mr Chairperson,
I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union.
The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
The European Union welcomes this discussion, in the context of the High Level Seminar, on Racism and the Internet. This is an issue that has received detailed examination at Durban, in previous sessions of this Working Group as well as, in our own region, by the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The European Union is deeply concerned about the use of all media, traditional and new, to spread messages of hate based upon racist, xenophobic and related forms of intolerance. Such messages are contrary to the basic principles of human equality and non-discrimination. At its most extreme, hate speech can entrench racial stereotypes, racist and xenophobic attitudes and as we have witnessed in many parts of the world, such messages can become a significant factor in the propagation of crimes against humanity and genocide. In this regard, the European Union notes with interest the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in developing early warning indicators, including on hate speech, to detect possible future genocides.
Mr Chairperson,
The European Union believes that there is no difference between messages of hatred that are spread via the Internet, on the radio or by print media. All deserve to be denounced and condemned. While the use of the Internet to spread racist and xenophobic messages is not a special category in itself, the specificities of this means of communications should be taken into account. That does not mean we should be complacent, rather that we should be alive to wider challenges we are faced with and develop effective strategies to deal with them.
Mr Chairperson,
Member states of the European Union have been engaged in developing a variety of national and regional strategies to combat the spread of racist and xenophobic messages via the Internet. In 2002, the Council of Europe adopted an Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which deals specifically with the criminalisation of acts of racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems. A number of Council of Europe member states have signed and ratified the Additional Protocol. In June 2004, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) convened a high level meeting to examine the relationship between racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic propaganda on the Internet and hate crimes. The meeting produced numerous recommendations including that States, Internet service providers and civil society co-operate to develop voluntary codes of conduct, complaint mechanisms and ultimately means to ensure that such messages can be countered.
In this respect, we would be very interested to hear and learn more about examples of best practice and initiatives that have been undertaken in other regions.
Mr Chairperson,
The Durban Declaration recognises that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, including that of the media, as well as the right to seek and impart information, can make a significant contribution to the fight against racism. This important principle applies also to the Internet, which has been used by a variety of actors to promote understanding and respect, as well as a vehicle to raise awareness of the vital need to tackle the scourge of racism. The European Union suggests that this Working Group might look at ways in which the power of the Internet can be harness to these ends.
The European Union firmly believes that strategies to tackle hate speech on the Internet, or which are spread through other media, must ensure full respect for the right to freedom expression in accordance with the relevant international instruments. This important principle must apply to all strategies, legal or voluntary, to tackle hate speech.
Thank you Mr Chairperson.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process
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