By Olayemi Esan
European justice ministers at a meeting in Paris on Monday called for a joint action to combat hate speech.
Justice Ministers from France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Italy, as well as EU Justice Commissioner, Didier Reynders, condemned the rise in crimes and hate speech targeting minorities, according to a statement.
The incidents had occurred on social media in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the statement.
The group also expressed concern about doubts raised by Hungary and Poland on the Istanbul Convention on the Protection of Women.
In Paris, the justice ministers also emphasised the importance of press freedom and the rule of law after last week’s attempted assassination of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries.
They expressed their support for de Vries following the murder attempt that has been widely attributed to organised crime in the Netherlands
