Everyday people in Europe experience hatred, despite this, hate crime and hate-motivated harassment often remain outside public consciousness, invisible in official statistics or heavily underreported (European Union Agency for Fundamental Human Rights, 2018). The ramifications of this are multi-layered and mutually reinforcing; underestimating the scale and nature of hate crime undermines measures to prevent it, creating a vicious cycle with victims losing faith in authorities and damaging social cohesion. Laws imposing heavier penalties for bias motivation are in place and services are available for victims, but are these measures sufficient?

Delegates from across the EU representing local authorities, the police, legal professionals and third sector practitioners will be encouraged to present different perspectives, challenge existing practices and offer alternative solutions. It promises to provide thought-provoking debate.

Delegates will:
• Examine the existing EU framework to combat hate crime
• Establish best practices for hate crime prevention, recording and protection
• Discuss preventative measures for minority groups vulnerable to hate crime
• Consider online hate crime and the responsibilities of social media companies and internet providers
• Determine how to challenge ingrained perceptions and counter hate crime in the public sphere
• Explore approaches to overcome discriminatory attitudes and actions in law enforcement agencies
• Discuss methods for stepping up multi-agency cooperation
• Assess victim support systems, access to remedies and redress for rights’ breaches