The manual of the Council of Europe entitled “Sections. Counteracting hate speech...

The manual of the Council of Europe entitled “Sections. Counteracting hate speech online though education on human rights.” - Jan Dąbkowski, Association of Young Journalists “Polis”, Poland

The youth campaign of the Council of Europe “No hate” implements in the Polish education system of human rights and non-discrimination a new educational programme of combating the speech of hatred on the Internet. The project is implemented by the “Polis” Association of Young Journalists in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education, the Education Development Centre and the Wegeland European Centre in Norway. The campaign manual entitled “Sections. Counteracting the hate speech online through education on human rights” contains 21 scenarios for teachers and educators of how to work with the youth between 13 and 18 years of age with a possibility to adapt it to other age groups. The scenarios concern counteracting the hate speech addressed against, among others, national, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ, women and disabled people. The publication contains also the knowledge concerning human rights, thehate speech and tools of its counteracting, including creating the Internet campaigns.
The campaign “No hate” aims at rising awareness of the society, schools, groups and youth of threats created by spreading hatred online, the values resulting from diversity as well as at encouraging them to act against the hate speech (and on behalf of human rights) with a particular focus on the Internet. The internet tools have both a huge potential and effectiveness. The choice is expansive and the possibilities are still expanding. Petitions, programmes to edit, post or translate films, maps, MMS generators, info-graphics – these are only some of the available ways of activism against the hate speech online. The Internet enables a smooth initiation of actions responding to infringements of human rights and expressions of solidarity with the people infested with hatred – happening, performance or a protest can then be developed and promoted in multimedia. The campaign “No hate” in Poland is supported by the open Coalition – the informal association of over 80 public institutions, non-government organisations, academies and informal groups which are interested in the problems of the youth education, human rights and safe Internet.