The European Commission confirmed on Wednesday 3 November that it has financially supported the WE CAN for human rights speech (#WECAN4HRS) project. However, it says it was not involved in the project’s online campaign, which is currently causing controversy in France.
The campaign consisted of photos and videos of young women wearing the hijab with captions such as “my scarf means I can be myself without having to hide”, “my scarf means I am free, proud to be who I am”, and “celebrate diversity and respect the hijab”.
The images were produced and disseminated as part of the #WECAN4HRS project run by the Council of Europe to combat hate speech, particularly against the Muslim community, by involving young people. The statements posted online were those of participants in the project.
However, the posts were removed at France’s request. Criticising an “identity-based approach”, the French Secretary of State for Youth and Engagement, Sarah El Haïry, confirmed on Tuesday evening, live on the French channel LCI, that her government was behind this withdrawal.
The European Commission has provided the #WECAN4HRS project with €340,000 in financing as part of a call for proposals launched in 2019 under the Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme, as explained by Christian Wigand, the European Commission’s Justice and Equality spokesperson, on Wednesday.
However, the spokesperson reiterated that the European Commission had not validated these publications. “Here, the Council of Europe is the leader”, he insisted. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)