11/09/2023 Political Affairs and Democracy
Far-right violence, driven by xenophobia, racism, and other forms of intolerance, has increased sharply in recent years and a number of Council of Europe member States consider forms of far-right terrorism “the fastest growing or most prominent domestic security threat they face”, PACE's Political Affairs Committee warned today.
More sophisticated means of communication and the mainstreaming of far-right ideology in the public domain make it necessary “to refine and adapt actions to protect against ideologies that are incompatible with human rights, democracy and the rule of law”, the committee said.
Unanimously adopting a draft resolution, based on a report prepared by Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan, EC/DA), the parliamentarians said that the most effective way of preventing far-right extremism is “to strengthen adherence to the core values of the Council of Europe”.
They called on member States “to enhance existing legislation to effectively counter far-right extremism as well as hate speech”. Strategies to counter disinformation and propaganda propagated by far-right groups should be developed, “ensuring that accurate and evidence-based information prevails”.
European States, they underlined, should ensure that legislation that addresses the dissolution of political parties or prohibition of the formation of a political party complies with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. They should also elaborate potential strategies “to prosecute violent extremism conducive to terrorism”.
The adopted text calls for effective mechanisms for “taking action against law enforcement personnel engaged in far-right extremist activities” and encourages educational projects and teaching methods aimed at tackling anti-democratic ideologies as well as partnerships with civil society organisations that are engaged in de-radicalisation, rehabilitation, and victim support.