On Friday, 1 March 2019, the Migration and Human Rights Society organized a workshop on "Hate Crimes and Intolerance in the Public Discourse".
The workshop was led by Mr Larry OLOMOOFE, co-founder and executive director of the recently formed NGO People of African Descent LINK (PADLINK) and former deputy head and advisor for combatting racism and xenophobia as well as training co-ordinator for the OSCE ODIHR’s Tolerance and Non-Discrimination department.
Students discussed the structure and particularities of national legislations, the specific nature of hate crimes – in particular the problem around the incitement of "hate" in the area of law enforcement – the tensions between freedom of speech and hate speech as well as effective responses of law enforcement and civil society to hate crimes and intolerance.
The Migration and Human Rights Society thanks Mr OLOMOOFE for having given the students of the College of Europe in Natolin such valuable insights into the legal and practical challenges surrounding hate crimes and the opportunity to discuss the notions of discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes in our societies.