Joan Barata took part in the public discussion Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights, held on 25 February, at Bentham House, University College London. The event brought together leading scholars to examine whether the European Court of Human Rights should reconsider its approach to hate speech in order to better safeguard freedom of expression.
The session was inspired by the recent book Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights by Dr. Natalie Alkiviadou, who argued that the Court has gradually adopted an overly restrictive and inconsistent approach to hate speech cases under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. According to her analysis, this trajectory risks weakening robust protections for freedom of expression, particularly in the context of online speech.
Expert Panel Discussion
Following the presentation, Dr. Alkiviadou engaged in a critical exchange with a panel of experts in free speech and human rights law, including:
- Dr. Joan Barata (Católica Porto Law School / Queen Mary University of London)
- Prof. Veronika Fikfak (University College London)
- Prof. Eric Heinze (Queen Mary University of London)
- Prof. Gavin Phillipson (University of Bristol)
The discussion explored tensions within the Court’s jurisprudence, including divergent standards applied to different forms of alleged hate speech and the limited use of empirical evidence when justifying restrictions on expression.