International Conference on Right-wing Extremism and Hate Crime in Europe and Beyond

On 14 May, international experts and stakeholders will gather in Oslo for a two-day conference on right-wing extremism and hate crime directed towards minorities in Europe and beyond.

Despite a large number of legal instruments and implementation mechanisms, recent years have shown a marked increase in right-wing extremism and hate crime directed towards minorities. This goes against the very ideas on which post-war Europe was founded.

The aim of the Conference is to identify trends, gather information on emerging policy responses and good practices, and discuss options for the way forward. Key findings and recommendations will be summarized in a final report.

The Conference will gather specially invited participants and speakers from a number of countries, including UN special rapporteurs and independent experts, representatives from the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, as well as  representatives from human rights organisations, academia, civil society, minority groups, traditional and new media.

The Conference is organized by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sponsored by the EEA and Norway Grants.

The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Espen Barth Eide, will open the Conference, followed by Mr Ralf Melzer from the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, who will deliver a keynote speech focusing on the roots and causes of rights-wing extremism in Europe, as well as possible counter strategies.

The plenary sessions of the Conference will be streamed live (see link below).

Links:

• Conference programme
• Live stream from the conference (starting 14 May at 0830 CET)