Tolerance, non-discrimination in focus of OSCE Kosovo Mission campaign

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 19 October 2015 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo today launched a two-week public information campaign, “Let’s not grow up with hate”, which focuses on preventing hate speech. 

The campaign aims to raise awareness among the general public that hate speech is not something innate but rather learned, and that society as a whole should nurture tolerance and diversity.

“Freedom of expression is a value any society should hold in high regard, and we have witnessed its substantial advance in Kosovo over the years,” said Roberto Di Donatantonio, Deputy Director of the Human Rights and Communities Department in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. “We should be aware however that hate speech is often mistaken for freedom of expression and this is also the case here in Kosovo. For this reason, institutions and civil society should be particularly careful and tackle it adequately.”

Di Donatantonio also warned that the failure to address this problem might lead to discrimination, tensions, and in some cases even violence, as “hate speech targets groups or individuals based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity and religion.”

The campaign is a follow-up to the regional conference on hate speech held in 2014, which highlighted the need for awareness-raising on the harm that hate speech can cause and on the importance of tolerance.

It includes TV spots in Albanian and Serbian languages, which are available at: www.osce.org/kosovo/192641

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development.