Parliament committee supports Latvian initiative to stop hate speech
The Riigikogu European Union Affairs Committee (ELAK) decided to join the Latvian parliament's green card proposal that aims to keep hate speech out of audiovisual media.
ELAK chairman Kalle Palling said the committee decided to support the Latvian Saeima's green card initiative to direct the European Commission's attention to insufficient hate speech regulation in the European Union, the Riigikogu press service told BNS.
"Obstructing hate speech is a time-consuming and complicated process today, it could be a lot more effective. Every government should have the ability to quickly react to stop media content coming from another country if it undermines the country's political stability, incites violence or creates tension and fissures in society," Palling said. "This is the first time the Riigikogu joins an EU parliaments' green card initiative."
The green card initiative proposes the European Commission create a rapid response mechanism for relevant agencies of Member States to be able to react to rule-breaking and incitement of hatred and bring media services coming from outside the EU into the audiovisual media services directive's (AVMSD) scope. The idea also aims to stop unfair treatment of television broadcasts and on-demand services.
The so-called green card is an unofficial parliamentary initiative of EU Member States that calls for the European Commission's action in developing or amending legislative drafting in a given area.
Source: BNS