The International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which is celebrated today, marks the beginning of an entire week dedicated to this topic. The theme for the 2025 edition is “Enhance legal and non-legal measures against hate speech through a multi-stakeholder approach”. Organised by the Anti-Discrimination Department of the Council of Europe under an EU-CoE joint project and supported by the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the Week will feature a series of events, starting today, on topics ranging from countering hate crimes and disinformation through an intercultural approach, to hate speech and media, victim support, and educational tools to prevent and combat hate. “Hate speech is not an isolated issue, but a part of a deeper challenge – to trust, to truth, to democracy itself”, said Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset at an opening event for the Week that was also attended by EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law Michael McGrath. “One of the most urgent threats we now face”, Berset added, “is the mass production of hate – amplified in the digital age”. In this context, hate “is not just spreading” but is being monetised and weaponised. Berset called for “stronger platform accountability”: transparency on how content is ranked, labelling of AI-generated speech, and real consequences when harmful content is boosted.