Meeting in Luxembourg for a ‘Council’ meeting, the European Justice Ministers held a working lunch on Monday 13 October devoted to the rule of law in the field of justice.
The discussion was guided by the desire to protect political participation and politicians from threats and violence, and the means of doing so, in a context of increasing threats (physical violence, intimidation, online hate speech).
Discussions focused on striking a balance between opening up public debate and ensuring the safety of elected representatives.
The representatives of the Member States shared their experiences of national protection regimes for politicians and how to ensure a reliable information space, protected from abuse and attacks such as disinformation.
At the press conference following the meeting, the Danish Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, said: “Politicians today face a wide spectrum of threats, from physical violence and intimidation to online hate speech, with female candidates being more frequently attacked. Online platforms have further strengthened these risks”.
He added that it was “very important that we discuss this issue not merely as a question of protecting elected officials and their spouses and children, but also as a broader debate. (...) A lot of it is about democratic culture. And there has been a slide to the worst when it comes to democratic culture”.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Michael McGrath, pointed out that “some people get more abuse than others”, citing in particular women, young people and minorities. In his view, this leads to “fewer women, fewer young people” and fewer representatives from minority groups in politics, making democracy “less representative” and therefore “poorer”.
He confirmed that the security of candidates and elected representatives would be part of the future ‘European Shield for Democracy’. “Any act of violence against a public representative is an attack on democracy itself”, he said. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)