What are the legal grounds for stopping racism in Europe?
According to Article 14 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, your human rights and fundamental freedoms as laid out in the Convention cannot be subject to discrimination on any grounds whatsoever such as sex, race, color, language, religion, etc.

ARTICLE 14:
The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Convention shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status.

Council of Europe Cyber Crime Convention - Additional Protocol:
The Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems Hate speech is defined as: “racist and xenophobic material” means any written material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual or group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as a pretext for any of these factors.

Council of Europe Directive of June 29 2000:

In addition, as a means of applying the principle of equality in the European Union States regardless of the person’s racial or ethnical origin, the Council of Europe Directive of the 29th of June 2000 was adopted. This Directive combats discrimination based on racial and ethnic origins. It completes and enforces existing national legislation since it gives a common definition of what is illegal discrimination. This Directive prohibits all discrimination on grounds of race and ethnical origin. Such discrimination could take the form of unfair treatment of a person or any other deed, criteria or practice that could in any way lead to unfavourable consequences for a specific person or group of people. On the other hand, it obliges Member States to guarantee equal treatment regarding the access to jobs, training, education, work conditions, participation in professional organizations, protection and social security, access to goods and services and their provision.

What is the impact of the internet on racist and xenophobic content?
The use of the internet to spread racist, anti-Semitic and other hostile propaganda is increasing throughout the world. The targets of hate may vary from place to place, but no country is immune to the problem, and a single website is often managed across different borders. There are growing concerns that internet hate may incite violence and lead to physical hate crimes. Even where it is difficult to establish a direct causal link, there is no doubt that the internet can be used to foster a climate of hostility against certain groups, as well as for fundraising and attracting sympathizers.

Where can European internet users report material related to racism and xenophobia?
The INHOPE network of hotlines focuses mainly on the eradication of illegal content on the internet. In many of its member hotlines’ countries, racist and xenophobic internet content is considered illegal and therefore these hotlines receive reports about such content.

Furthermore, all of INHOPE hotlines have well established and formal procedures to report such content to the Law Enforcement Agencies in their own countries. To see which INHOPE hotlines in Europe currently deal with racist/xenophobic or national socialist material, go to the INHOPE website.

In addition to the INHOPE network of hotlines, there is a group called the International Network Against Cyber Hate (INHACH) that receives complaints of content dealing with racist and xenophobic material on the internet. Users may report by sending an email to complaints@inach.net or visit INACH’s website and report directly to one of its members.

Now go to your national node’s website to find useful links and further information: