Every individual has an important role in responding to hate speech with positive language and mutual respect. This was one of the key messages at the launching event of the awareness-raising campaign, “Block the hatred. Share the love!”, run jointly by the European Union and the Council of Europe and held on 5 May in Belgrade.

The “Block the hatred. Share the love!” campaign aims to combat various forms of hate speech targeting communities and individuals in Serbia, especially those from vulnerable groups and minorities. The campaign will be implemented online, through social media pages, as well as through public events. These activities will involve public figures, institutions, and activists, promoting diversity and equality in Serbia and the region through personal experiences, testimonies and exchange of good practices.

Ambassadors of the campaign against hate speech in Serbia are prominent public figures in the world of acting: Milena Radulović, Sandra Siladjev, Miloš Timotijević and Slaven Došlo, and the campaign was also supported by Young European Ambassadors. They say that they back the campaign because they believe that together we can make a positive change and render our society more inclusive.

The campaign is implemented within an initiative on the promotion of diversity and equality in Serbia, which is a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” programme. This programme supports key local actors and beneficiary institutions in Serbia and the Western Balkans in the fight against discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes directed against minorities, members of the LGBTI community and other vulnerable groups in Serbian society.