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Violence and hate speech against politicians: a threat to democracy

Amendment No. 4 | Doc. 16363 | 20 April 2026

Signatories:
Ms Sophia CHIKIROU, France, UEL ; Ms Janina BÖTTGER, Germany, UEL ; Ms Gabrielle CATHALA, France, UEL ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Mr Dionysios-Charalampos KALAMATIANOS, Greece, UEL
Origin
2026 - Second part-session
In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 8 with the following paragraph:

"The Assembly notes with concern that hate speech, fear-mongering and dehumanising rhetoric have become increasingly normalised in public discourse, contributing to political polarisation and to a climate of intimidation that undermines democratic life. It stresses that, in several member States, far-right movements and the networks circulating around them play a particularly harmful role in spreading such rhetoric and in fostering violence against politicians."

Explanatory note

The reference to "populist movements" is too vague. This amendment more clearly identifies the role of far-right movements in normalising hate speech and in fuelling political violence.