A/HRC/52/53 of structural racism against Roma are obstacles to the right to know and the right to truth and justice.49 G. Hate speech 49. In January 2022, in an address to the Italian Senate’s extraordinary commission against intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism, and incitement to hatred and violence, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that narratives of hatred on social media platforms had contributed to extreme violence against minority groups.50 She referred to the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and its threshold test, which had been used by courts, other national authorities and United Nations peacekeeping operations. She noted that States were responsible for ensuring the protection of human rights online, but noted with concern that some efforts to combat hate speech had suppressed legitimate dissent and restricted civic space.51 50. OHCHR held #Faith4Rights workshops, linked to hate-speech scenarios, during the 2022 Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition and the 2022 Price Media Law Moot Court Competition, with the participation of special rapporteurs, treaty body experts and the Facebook Oversight Board administration. The former High Commissioner welcomed the use by the Facebook Oversight Board of the Rabat threshold test in several decisions on hate speech.52 51. In February 2022 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, OHCHR developed a plan of action to counter hate speech, including on the grounds of ethnic and religious background. In the report on his visit to the country, undertaken in December 2021, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence stated that antiethnic rhetoric had led to worrying levels of polarization and tangible risks to peace sustainability.53 Together with key State institutions, the Office published a fact sheet on hate speech in July 2022.54 It also analysed hate speech in the context of the general elections of October 2022. While it found that there had been no direct incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence towards ethnonational groups, it noted persistent patterns of divisive discourses, recurrent use of pejorative and discriminatory terms, and some instances of inflammatory, including warmongering, language, which tended to stigmatize other groups, instil distrust and create tension. 52. In May 2022, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation on combating hate speech that builds on the threshold test of the Rabat Plan of Action. The explanatory memorandum contained references to the United Nations #Faith4Rights framework and toolkit, in particular its peer-to-peer learning methodology, as a useful tool.55 The Forum on Minority Issues also encouraged States, the United Nations, international and regional organizations and civil society to work together closely in supporting the positive contributions of faith-based actors, including through the promotion of the Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights and the #Faith4Rights toolkit.56 53. The OHCHR Regional Office for South-East Asia, jointly with the Conscious Advertising Network, convened a session on the role of advertising in confronting hate speech and disinformation, which they held during the United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia-Pacific in September 2022. 57 The session offered an 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 GE.22-29200 See https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-events/roma-and-memorialization-advancing-recognition-and-remedyfor-the-dark-chapters-of-the-past-and-their-impact-on-the-present/. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2022/01/hearing-italian-senatesextraordinary-commission-against. Ibid. A/HRC/49/86, para. 70. A/HRC/51/34/Add.2, para. 15. See https://bosniaherzegovina.un.org/en/189364-hate-speech-factsheet. See https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectId=0900001680a6891e, para. 184. A/HRC/49/81, para. 58. See also Human Rights Council resolution 49/9, para. 22. See https://www.rbhrforum.com/confrontinghatespeech. 11