Antigypsyist Online Hate Speech

On the occasion of today’s International Roma Day, the ERGO Network, an NGO consisting of more than 30 Roma and pro-Roma organisation from all over Europe, provides a report on Antigypsyist online hate speech in 10 European countries.

The Peer Education to Counter Antigypsyist Online Hate Speech (PECAO) project focuses to address and counter Antigypsyist hate speech online by working with young people, using a combination of peer education and monitoring in order to obtain two-fold results: the peer education methodology serves the purpose to achieve a direct change in attitudes and actions of a high number of young people, and the monitoring to contribute to better understanding and a more systemic change of policies through advocacy based on the results.

The data was collected in 10 European countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Italy, France, and Spain. It is based on the young peer-educators’ personal accounts (on different social media platforms) and their own search on different websites using Google search engine, during a period of one year (September 2020 – September 2021) and it contains data gathered by young people of different nationalities of the adverse impact of hate speech on Roma and of the importance to report Antigypsyist online hate speech.

With the results presented in this report, we aim to take a step further to learn about the presence and impact of antigypsyist online hate speech and to learn lessons that can be brought forward to make the future of an equal and inclusive society in a safe digital environment happen.

This report was elaborated by Ileana Rotaru, assoc. prof. PhD habil. at West University of Timisoara, research expert of Nevo Parudimos Association and responsible for the research instruments and methodology elaborated and applied for the purpose of the PECAO project.

The European Roma Grassroots Organisations Network (ERGO) members aim to convince policy makers that positive change for Roma is possible when antigypsyism is recognized and tackled as the root cause for inequality and exclusion and when Roma can take part in civic life as equal stakeholders. To achieve this, the gap between grassroots realities and policy-making has to be bridged. The ERGO Network advocates for better policies and policy implementation on national and European level, organises public campaigns, builds the capacity of Roma activists and provides spaces for networking and mutual learning.

PECAO Synthesis Report on Antigypsyist Online Hate Speech
ERGO Network, edited by Mustafa Jakupov

66 pages | 2022

Read the full report HERE.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Foreword
Abstract
Introduction
Methodology

1. Description of the Monitoring Tool (MT)

Main findings

1. A brief summary of the main findings
2. Part 1 General information, topic and content appearance an overview of the antigypsist online hate speech detected
3. Part 2 Content: a deeper perspective of online discourse and hate narratives
4. Part 3 Personal insights: the peer-educators and young Roma perspectives during the monitoring activity

Conclusions
Set of recommendations – selection
References
Annexes