A/HRC/43/47/Add.1 similar conclusions of numerous international organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists, in relation to the 2017 events, the subsequent prosecution of members of the government of Catalonia and members of civil society, and the use of excessive force by the police to break up peaceful activities. 69. The Special Rapporteur observes that these matters arose from the expression of the views of the Catalan minority – and others – in relation to their continued participation and status in the polity of Spain. He also learned of allegations in Catalonia that hate speech against Catalans as a minority had increasingly been appearing in social and other media as a result of the recent events. Politicians and others outside the region had begun to paint Catalans as a threat and traitors who had to be dealt with severely, at times using violent language. 70. In the view of the Special Rapporteur, alongside the previous stated observations of his colleagues and other organizations, Spain has legal obligations to protect the human rights of minorities, including the Catalan minority, especially in relation to: freedom of expression, including political expression, in accordance with article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, in accordance with article 11 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights) and articles 21 and 22 of the Covenant; and participation in public life, in accordance with article 25 of the Covenant. D. Deaf community and the use of sign languages 71. Members of the Spanish Sign Language and Catalan Sign Language minorities have seen considerable progress in Spain since the adoption of legislation in 2007 (Law No. 27/2007) that provides for the legal basis and conditions for using sign language in State institutions and services. Attitudes have also shifted: once simply considered as a tool to compensate for a disability, sign language has begun to be acknowledged as a fully functioning language. Current national legislation, however, continues to reflect a “sign language as tool” rather than a “language as right” stance. 72. A shift in the legislation would be welcome since, despite the 2007 law, there is still reluctance in some schools to set aside resources for providing children who are deaf with teaching in sign language, and implementation of the law itself still appears weak. 73. The Special Rapporteur recommends legislative changes so as to ensure that Spanish Sign Language and Catalan Sign Language are more clearly acknowledged as full-fledged languages, and also recommends that Spanish authorities increase resources to increase the availability of bilingual educational facilities for deaf children and public services in both those languages. He also urges the Government to recognize both as official languages at the national level. VII. Conclusion and recommendations 74. The Special Rapporteur on minority issues commends the Government of Spain for the enormous strides it has made in its path towards a more inclusive and tolerant society since the 1970s. He congratulates Spanish authorities for the strides they have made to accommodate and reflect the linguistic, religious and ethnic diversity of the country, and for their efforts to better recognize the invaluable contributions made by all its component populations, including Roma. Nevertheless, there remains room for improvement, particularly in addressing the serious obstacles that migrants and people of African descent continue to face, as well as what appears to be a rise in xenophobic nationalism targeting those and other minorities, including historical communities such as the Catalans. 75. The following recommendations are intended to assist Spain in its efforts to better address minority issues and more fully comply with its obligations in relation to the human rights of minorities. 76. The Government should reconsider adopting a comprehensive law against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including hate 15