On 9 October 2024, Solidarity with OTHERS organized a high-impact panel titled “Addressing Hate Speech: Empowering Youth, Protecting Minorities, and Countering Online Abuse” as part of the OSCE Human Dimension Conference.

The event, moderated by human rights lawyer Coskun Yorulmaz, gathered experts and advocates to explore systemic and digital dimensions of hate speech and the vital role of youth and advocacy in confronting it.

Panelists and Topics:

• 🎙 Aneta Szarfenberg, Researcher at The Maria Grzegorzewska University: “From Hate Speech to Acceptance Speech”
  Szarfenberg highlighted the unconscious nature of stereotypes and how they form the basis of prejudice. She stressed that “direct or indirect contact with people from other groups fosters empathy, reduces prejudice, and leads to active support for minorities, ultimately driving social change.”

• 🎙 Eleni Kardamitsi: “Youth Involvement in Fighting Hate Speech”
  Kardamitsi focused on empowering youth as agents of change, emphasizing the need to equip young people with the tools and platforms to counter discrimination and promote inclusive narratives in both physical and digital spaces.

• 🎙 Dr. Anna Tatar, Never Again Association: “Hate Speech on Social Media: Documentation & Advocacy”
  Dr. Tatar presented critical findings on the ineffectiveness of major social media platforms in removing hateful content. She reported that “Facebook removes only 15% of reported hate speech, and Twitter just 8%. Even escalated reports result in poor enforcement, with Facebook acting in only 70% of cases and Twitter in just 11%.” She called on platforms to “move beyond words and start enforcing their own regulations.”

Coskun Yorulmaz, in his closing remarks, shared insights into state-led hate speech, particularly in Turkey:
“The Turkish government used hate speech to justify mass persecution, turning the Gülen movement into a terrorist label in the public eye, leading to nearly a million prosecutions and countless arrests.”