On October 5 and 19, 2024, workshops – structural discussions within the project “Raising Awareness about Hate Speech and Its Prevention in Latvian Civil Society”, ID No. SLG75024GR0075, were held. These structured discussions were aimed at adult third-country nationals, Ukrainian civilians, and Latvian citizens, and were led by the project educator, Oļģerts Rihlickis.
During the workshops, participants were introduced to the definition and characteristics of hate speech in an interactive manner. They analyzed precedents of ethnic and political hate crimes in Latvia and learned to identify, prevent, and address situations related to hate speech and hate crimes. Visual materials – images and videos – played a crucial role in mastering the skills needed to identify hate speech situations.
Participants worked in groups on a practical assignment titled “Identifying Hate Crimes: Examples of Linguistic Expertise”, which they presented at the end of the workshops. This was followed by discussions on hate speech prevention and the most common challenges encountered.
The project “Building Understanding of Hate Speech and Its Prevention in the Latvian Civic Community,” No. SLG75024GR0075, is being implemented with the financial support of the U.S. Embassy in Latvia.
