European Institute for Human Rights

Tag: Hate Speech

  • On Propaganda

    On Propaganda

    Proposal:  On Propaganda – from the past to the present

    Implementation: 2026 TO 2028

    Call: CERV-2025-CITIZENS-REM – European Remembrance – 2025

    Type of Action: CERV-LS – CERV Lump Sum Grants

    Proposed Budget: 253 695,00€

    Keywords: Populism, Democracy, Fake-news, Human rights, Civil society, Extremism, defence of fundamental rights, democracy, and minority rights, resist polarising, discriminatory, hate speech, promote critical thinking and media literacy, combat propaganda

    Objective: The project aims to raise awareness among European citizens about their shared history and the importance of mutual understanding and tolerance particularly in light of the resurgence of far-right ideologies in European politics. It aligns with the priority “Democratic transition, (re-)building and strengthening society based on the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights” and involves a consortium of countries with historical and/or present ties to far-right movements.

    This initiative focuses on strengthening European citizens’ awareness of discursive propaganda as a manipulative tool that threatens EU values, fundamental rights, and democratic institutions. The project encompasses various activities, such as the organisation of memory forums, the creation and testing of formal and non-formal education toolkits on media literacy and the elaboration of a policy recommendation on the use of propaganda by modern far-right parties and movements.

    Targeting young people, teachers, universities, NGOs dedicated to capacity building and defence of fundamental rights and democracy, and museums, the project aims to educate the general population and equip them with tools to critically assess information. By analysing narratives and propaganda from World War II to the present, the project aims to empower individuals to resist polarising, discriminatory, and hate speech, thereby defending fundamental rights, democracy, and minority rights. The comprehensive research will cover propaganda used by totalitarian, authoritarian, Nazi, and fascist parties during World War II, as well as contemporary far-right parties. In this sense, the project seeks to promote critical thinking and media literacy amongst the general population of the consortium countries to combat propaganda that weakens EU values and democracy.

    Partners:

    • European Institute for Human Rights (Young Educators)
    • Archeia Sygchronis Koinonikis Istorias Mi Kerdosk
    • Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
    • Federazione Italiana Diritti Umani Comitato Italia
    • Universidade Do Minho
  • Remembering Colonialism and Combating Hate Speech

    Remembering Colonialism and Combating Hate Speech

    Proposal: Remembering Colonialism at Schools: Acknowledging the European Past to Combat Hate Speech

    Implementation: 2025 to 2026

    Call: CERV-2024-CITIZENS-REM – European Remembrance – 2024

    Type of Action: CERV-LS – CERV Lump Sum Grants

    Proposed Budget: 214 070,00€

    Keywords: Decolonization, Historical memory, education, hate speech, remembrance

    Objective: The goal of the project is to study remember and educate about the European colonial past to combat current discourses of hate speech. Overall, this goal is twofold: on the one hand, it focuses on research-associated activities whereas, on the other hand, highlights the importance of implementing educational programs and promoting active participation of stakeholders and the target groups. 

    The project will maintain a gender perspective, both to ensure parity in the project participation and to understand how the colonial past has had different consequences on people depending on their gender. The project will develop a methodology based on non-formal education to remember European colonial experiences in schools in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and The Netherlands, directed to students of secondary education, teachers and future teachers. 

    This project will contribute to the EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2020-2025 as the theory of change at the basis, and implies that finding new ways of remembering and educating about a history of violations that took place during colonial rule allows societies to become better equipped to respond to current discourses of hate speech, as well as better integrate migrant communities and marginalized minority groups that are often victims of discrimination. 

    Altogether, by intervening in the education sector, the project is to deliver short-term impacts such as raising awareness of how colonialism has shaped European history and identity and how its victims are still negatively affected, especially women, besides giving tools to teachers to adequately incorporate colonialism in history teaching. Finally, long-term impacts include raising a more conscious and tolerant youth that understands the basis of today’s European states as rooted in the colonial period and contributing to a more tolerant society.

    Partners:

    • Fundacio Blanquerna
    • European Institute for Human Rights (Young Educators)
    • Euroclio-De Europese Vereniging Voor Geschiedenis Onderwijsgevenden
    • Associació Catesco/Catalonia For Education, Science And Culture Organization
    • Ahead – Associació D’educadors En Drets Humans
    • University Of Victoria
    • Studio Globo