Judges and prosecutors play a fundamental role in the efforts to combat hate speech and more concretely in processing hate speech legal cases. To assist justice professionals in North Macedonia to address hate speech, a capacity building activity supported by EU and Council of Europe took place in Skopje. The training aimed to strengthen their understanding about the European standards in the fight against hate speech in light of the domestic legal framework, and how it complies with these standards.

A total of 34 judges and public prosecutors from North Macedonia had the opportunity to discuss and widen their understanding about recognising hate speech and the different levels of processing hatred, depending on its severity.

During the sessions the participants examined the case-law of the European Court for Human Rights in the field of hate speech, the Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation on Combating Hate Speech, as well key cases from North Macedonia’s domestic legal framework.

The discussion highlighted the importance of correctly interpreting and applying European standards when balancing freedom of expression and processing severe instances of hate speech. Participants reflected on the challenges when dealing with such cases, especially in distinguishing between offensive or provocative speech that is protected, and expressions that constitute incitement to hatred or violence, even a hate crime.

During the meeting, through interactive case-based analysis, they explored how judicial reasoning must carefully assess context, intent, and potential harm, particularly when dealing with speech targeting vulnerable groups.

This activity was organised by the action “Combating Hatred and Intolerance in North Macedonia”, part of the EU and the Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, in co-operation with the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors.