Press Release
European Union and Council of Europe conclude the regional Block the Hatred, Share the Love campaign with an event in Pristina
Pristina, 9 October 2022 – The European Union and Council of Europe (CoE) concluded today in Pristina a joint Block the Hatred. Share the Love campaign that run in the Western Balkans since December 2020 aiming to combat various forms of hate speech that target specific communities and individuals in our society and local communities.
The campaign utilised public outreach activities and social media channels reaching hundreds of thousands of people.
Today’s event held at a public playground in Pristina gathered young people, No-Hate-Speech Ambassadors, local officials and NGOs, as well as Young European Ambassador and EU and CoE representatives putting forward messages of love, equality, and solidarity.
“All forms and manifestations of hatred and intolerance are incompatible with the basic concepts of freedom and equality, and values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of non-majority communities,” said Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Head of Cooperation Section of the European Union in Kosovo. “The Block the Hatred, Share the Love campaign is just one of many EU-funded activities implemented with our partner organisations in an effort to help local institutions to advance Kosovo* on its European path by strengthening respect for human rights.”
Speaking at the event, Tankut Soykan, Deputy Head of Council of Europe Office in Pristina, stressed the importance of fighting against hate speech in moving towards a tolerant and diverse society.
“It is the responsibility of all of us to counter hate speech, because this phenomenon does not only threaten certain vulnerable groups but also the fundamental values of our democracies. As underlined by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, hate speech is on the rise in Europe, particularly online, where it often takes the form of racism, antisemitism or incitement to violence. We should join forces to address this complex threat to our societies with measures that are both effective and proportionate,” said Soykan.
Donjeta Sahatciu, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Pristina, addressed the event emphasising the importance of fighting hate speech and promoting diversity especially in youth communities.
Greeting remarks were addressed also by Afrim Maliqi, Director of HandiKos, Rinor Gashi, No Hate Speech Ambassador, as well as Amina Kaja representing the Young European Ambassadors. They shared their messages of support for an equal society and called all the youth to join the forces and fight hate speech.
The campaign is supported by prominent public figures, institutions and activists, who are promoting diversity and equality both locally and regionally, through personal storytelling, testimonies and exchange of good practices.
The campaign is implemented within the actions on “Promotion of diversity and equality in the Western Balkans”, that are part of joint European Union and Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022".
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.