The panel on "Combating Discriminatory Discourse: Theoretical Discussions & European Experience regarding Hate Speech Laws" organised by Hrant Dink Foundation, with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation took place on 10 November 2015 at İstanbul Bilgi University santralistanbul campus in collaboration with İstanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Law Research Center. The panel’s speakers were Prof. Dr. Michał Krzyżanowski from Media and Communication Studies at Örebro University, Sweden and Asst. Prof. Marloes van Noorlos from the Department of Criminal Law of Tilburg Law School, Holland. The panel was held by the moderation of the Director of İstanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Law Research Center Prof. Dr. Turgut Tarhanlı and was broadcasted live. The panel has started by the opening remarks of the head of Friedrich Naumann Foundation Istanbul office, Dr. Hans-Georg Fleck.

The first speaker Prof. Dr. Michał Krzyżanowski’s speech focused on analyzing practices of othering and exclusion in European politics and media. He shared main examples to discuss the discourses in several European countries including Austria, Poland, Sweden and the UK. He also emphasized the dynamics of right wing populist discourses of discrimination and exclusion of migrants and minority groups. He mentioned the necessity to monitor and systematically analyze discursive shifts in both media and political discourse.

The panel continued with the second speaker Asst. Prof. Marloes van Noorloos drawing the distinction between criminal law and human rights law in terms of combating hate speech. In this regard, she draw the attention on the boundaries between freedom of expression and hate speech. After showing some of the main characteristics of European hate speech laws, she went into the theory behind prohibiting hate speech. She ended with a critical note about the use of hate speech laws.

Video of the meeting