The “Block the Hatred. Share the Love!” campaign against hate speech launched in Tirana on 25 March. The launch ceremony gathered opinion leaders, activists and senior representatives from authorities who all raised their voices against hate speech and pledged to promote an equal society, without hate and discrimination.

The Head of the Political Section of the European Delegation to Albania, Alexis Hupin, emphasised the importance of enforcement in the process of fighting hate speech. “I would like to invite you to continue this fight together, to condemn cases of hate speech, to report cases of hate crimes and to count on each other in making Albania a better place, free of discrimination, free of hatred and with equal opportunities for everyone.”

Daniela Kortoçi, a Young European Ambassador (YEA) from Albania said that “As YEAs, one of our main areas of focus is to influence with purpose throughout the Western Balkans. Influencing youth also means that we need to listen more to each other, and share our experiences and stories related to hatred online and how we overcame it. So let’s start this campaign: block the hatred and share the love.”

The “Block the Hatred. Share the Love!” campaign is an awareness-raising movement introduced in the Western Balkans last year to inform and engage local communities in the fight against various forms of hate speech targeting vulnerable groups and individuals such as those from the LGBTI community, immigrants, people with special needs and ethnic minorities. The campaign will continue in the months ahead with a series of public events promoted through websites and social media, but also in the mainstream media.

The campaign is implemented within the Promotion of diversity and equality in Albania initiative, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022, which supports reforms in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy in compliance with European standards, and within the EU enlargement process.