A/59/329 30. In that respect, the Special Rapporteur welcomes the adoption on 7 November 2002 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime concerning the Criminalization of Acts of a Racist or Xenophobic Nature Committed Through Computer Systems. The Protocol, signed by 23 States but not yet in force, defines the common legal bases of parties to suppress the dissemination of written materials, images or any other representation of ideas or theories that advocate or encourage hatred, discrimination or violence against a person or group of persons on the basis of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, or religion. The Protocol also provides for international cooperation to combat racist or xenophobic propaganda through the use of computers. Consideration should be given to establishing a similar document at the international level in the form of an additional protocol to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination so that more States can adopt legal measures to combat the use of the Internet for racist or xenophobic purposes. 31. However, disagreements remain on the most appropriate strategy for preventing dissemination of racist messages on the Internet, including the need to adopt regulatory measures to that end, as emerged from the meeting on the relationship between racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic propaganda on the Internet and hate crimes held by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Paris on 16 and 17 June 2004. The United States opposes any regulation, on freedom-of-expression grounds, while the European countries are more in favour of a policy of monitoring and sanctions. The meeting made no specific recommendations but urged that Internet users should be educated about tolerance and that cooperation should be promoted among all actors, particularly nongovernmental organizations and associations working to combat racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic propaganda on the Internet. C. Racism and sports 32. Racism has also risen in sport, with incidents being most common at European football stadiums. During the Euro 2004 France-Croatia match in Portugal, members of the French team, particularly Sylvain Wiltord, were the target of shouted jungle calls and insults such as “Go back to Africa!”. Around 1,000 Croatian fans reportedly joined in the racist abuse, and two Croatian banners bore the Celtic cross, as a symbol of the international “White Power” movement. There were also racist incidents between players. In 2003, a South African player was banned from taking part in the Rugby World Cup by the team manager for refusing to share his room with a black teammate. In Eastern Europe, anti-Semitism has been seen among supporters calling one another “Jews” and waving neo-Nazi and neo-Fascist banners in the stands. Far-right organizations have regularly found their way into stadiums, where they have handed out their racist propaganda and displayed their banners. Some countries have taken action: in Italy, for example, displaying racist banners can lead to the match being suspended. Racism has also invaded the tennis court: Serena Williams, who was repeatedly booed and whistled at during the semi-final of the Roland Garros tennis tournament in 2003, attributed the spectators’ behaviour to racism. 33. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee must work together to combat growing racism in 16

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