If you thought that this article would not talk about COVID-19, we are sorry to disappoint you. If you have recently scrolled through comments on social media about the coronavirus pandemic, you might have noticed the growing number of conspiracy theories on how the virus came about – including references to an alleged Jewish conspiracy.

“Such messages make me sad and angry. They prove that antisemitic thought is still widespread and not a phenomenon at the margins of society”, said Michael Roth, German Minister for European Affairs on behalf of the German Council Presidency in his opening statement at an event on Wednesday evening.

The online conference brought together policymakers, social media companies, students and other relevant stakeholders to explore the issue of antisemitism and online hate speech and discuss how to fight this growing trend of antisemitism, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination on the internet.

A growing problem during the pandemic

In a study by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, four out of five young European Jews said antisemitism was a problem in their countries and believe that the problem has grown worse in recent years. They have similar feelings about racism in general and, perhaps surprisingly, about intolerance towards Muslims. Many see antisemitism in the media, in political life and on the street, and almost all see it online and on social media.

Bini Guttmann, president of the European Union of Jewish Students, says the problem intensified during the pandemic: “The uncertainty of these times has led to an extreme rise in conspiracy ideologies”.

And this is not just a feeling.

The trends observed by the European Commission’s progress reports monitoring hate speech on major social media platforms show the predominance of racist hatred, with antisemitism comprising around 10 % of the reported grounds of hatred each year.

Is nothing being done?

A first step to systematically prevent and counter the spread of illegal hate speech online was taken in 2016, when the European Commission agreed with the major social media platforms a Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online.  This was to help users to notify illegal hate speech on the platforms and have it removed. The latest evaluation shows that on average 90 % of the notifications are reviewed within 24 hours and 71 % of the content is removed.

However, deleting harmful content from the platforms is not enough. “It will only encourage perpetrators to post the contents again. It is necessary to create an appropriate legal framework”, said Josephine Ballon from HateAid, a Berlin-based NGO supporting victims of digital violence and online hate speech online in Germany, on Wednesday evening.

The next step in efforts to further combat online hate speech is expected to come from the Digital Services Act package, proposed by the European Commission to modernise the current legal framework for digital services. The package is part of the larger EU Digital Strategy. During the Special European Council on 1-2 October, EU leaders stated that they look forward to the Commissionʼs proposal for a Digital Services Act by the end of 2020.

But doesn't action start in the society?

The study by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency showed that younger Jews are significantly more likely to experience antisemitism than the older Jewish population. So can we be empowered to combat hate speech or deal with it when people become victims?

“The best way to fight hate, not just online but also offline, is to strengthen our education system”, said Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute, and called for more importance to be placed on the teaching of our democratic values and the achievements behind them.

Young European Jews are acting themselves to defend their corner. “This generation grew up with the internet and are digital natives”, said Bini Guttmann, President of the European Union of Jewish Students. He quotes as an example the initiative of young Jews in France who filed and won their own law suits against large platforms, which eventually led to a new hate speech law in France. “This should serve as a best practice model for other European countries”.

How you can get involved

“We are all responsible for our words and our deeds”, said the EU Council’s Director-General Reijo Kemppinen in his introductory words to the conference on Wednesday evening. We can be vigilant about what we say online and what others say online.

But you want to do more?

The EU Fundamental Rights Agency is organising Fundamental Rights Dialogues: virtual events where young people can share their main concerns on fundamental rights. An important part of this is to continue the discussion on how to tackle hate speech, racism and disinformation, especially online. The first event took place on 13 November and the series of events will continue until the Fundamental Rights Forum in October 2021.

Have your say in the next Dialogue and help to shape Europe’s future Fundamental Rights Policy.