Today's Date:

Xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism have changed over the decades and are now finding their second wind on the Internet, a new and virtually limitless means of dissemination. This is why, just weeks after the Berlin Conference on anti-Semitism organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), we will go on with our fight. On 16 and 17 June 2004, France is hosting in Paris a special OSCE Conference on racism and anti-Semitism and, more especially, their manifestations on the Internet.

Our country has already put a great deal of effort into fighting discrimination, xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism. The recent racist and anti-Semitic attacks and desecration of Jewish, Muslim and Christian places of worship and cemeteries remind the nation of its duty to remain alert to stop hate crime.

The government has reacted firmly by passing the Lellouche Act against racist and anti-Semitic violence, setting up an interministerial committee against racism and anti-Semitism, launching prevention campaigns in schools, and so on. I believe that France has addressed this problem with determination and diligence.

To lend more effectiveness to our actions, we are now turning to the fight against hate crime on the Internet. This new front is worrying, and for good reason. Hijacking of religious rites (accusation of ritual murders taken from “The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Sion”), calls to kill Jews, Muslims and Blacks, defence of Nazism and revisionist theories, calls for a France cleansed of its immigrants, etc. Should these monstrosities be allowed to circulate on the Internet? No!

This special Paris Conference is part of the fight against crimes driven by racial and religious discrimination. There is much to be discussed.

First of all, the fact that the information crosses borders raises technical and legal questions.

When the offending sites are French, the authors risk up to one year in prison and a €45,000 fine.

Yet should we turn a blind eye when the sites are hosted and put online from abroad? Who should be responsible for tracking down racist sites? The industry professionals, access providers and hosters sometimes do the job themselves by cancelling referencing and subscriptions. The most organized among them even have “charters of best practice” whereby they are bound to report any site or content featuring messages of hate, generally with action taken by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights associations.

It is up to the government and the relevant public authorities to take legal action when this is warranted and to build precedents from this.

The Internet is a prime candidate for a “governance” exercise between the public sphere (in all its different forms) and civil society, industry players and the voluntary sector. Hence the code of conduct scheduled to be signed just before the conference. The industry players undertake to fight hate crime sites in association with the relevant authorities and NGOs by making it easier to identify them.

It is vital to establish intergovernmental cooperation, paying due regard to the different OSCE States’ legal practices, in order to tackle these problems. There is no point in developing national integrated strategies to fight hate crime if the criminals acting under cover of anonymity can hide in countries that have not built an awareness of these issues.

Lastly, can a moral code be applied to information on the Internet without undermining freedom of expression? I say this is possible. It will be one of the questions the Paris Conference will have to address.

There is a point beyond which we cannot sit on our hands, given the attacks on human dignity and the dangerous nature of the messages, images and ideas conveyed. This is already happening vis-à-vis the fight against terrorism and paedophilia, especially in the United States, a country particularly committed to freedom of expression. What do we expect from this special Paris Conference?

I would first of all like it to bolster the efforts made in France over the past months to fight racism and anti-Semitism. Cybercrime is not inevitable, as has been shown by the substantial progress made in the fight against terrorism and paedophilia.

This meeting must also make our OSCE partners aware of the cooperation needed in this area between States and with representatives of civil society.

The fight against messages, ideas and images on the Internet that violate human dignity is of the utmost importance to the future of our information societies. Everyone seems to be aware of this. We must do more than just observe that this scourge exists. We must move forward with purpose to fight it.

This is why I am attending these discussions, so that they lead to the commitment of all to this cause, here in Paris and at the OSCE ministerial meeting in Sofia in December./.