A/HRC/40/75 VIII. Impact of extremist political parties and movements on the rise of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 74. Mr. Jamin explained the impact of hate speech on violence. If an extreme-right party was invited to speak in mainstream media and made a speech legitimizing xenophobia, then the public would also legitimize xenophobia soon afterwards. He pointed out two phenomena that characterized the discourse of far-right parties in Europe. One was xenophobia-based protection, such as “we reject the foreigner because they risk disadvantaging our country” and the other was a strategic Islamophobia, such as “we reject Muslims because of their religion and not because of their origin”. Mr. Jamin stated that it was necessary to pay close attention to the fact that extreme-right parties did not reject fundamental rights and might even defend them. However, such extremist parties set up a hierarchy where some rights were more important than others. Fundamental rights should be universal, but the far right accepted only some rights and disconnected them from their universal nature. 75. Mr. Engel was of the view that extremist radical parties were not the only ones responsible for racist attitudes. Rather, parties were part of a more complicated system, which itself led to xenophobia. The State played quite a substantial role because it set the rules (including the rules for minority integration). The lack of capacity of a State led to radicalization among minorities. As an example, legalized discrimination against minorities led to an undermining of democratic values that then transformed the political establishment, which in turn further radicalized voters. Mr. Engel made several recommendations: that enacting legislation of a forcible nature intended to assimilate national religious minorities in the interest of their integration be avoided; that the presence of national and religious minorities where their very existence was disputed be recognized; that there was a need to enact legislation on the protection of rights of national minorities so that they could have cultural autonomy; that States needed to oversee private cultural associations or religious institutions to ensure protection against propaganda; and that there should be an overall system of criteria for the definition of hatred. 76. The representative of the European Union commented that extremist populists aimed to undermine European core values. Thus, the European Union had initiatives in place to ensure that the Internet remained a place of free and democratic expression where European laws and values were respected. Combating hatred required a social shift, proper education, etc. The representative of the European Union pointed out that the discussion should extend beyond Europe. 77. The representative of Brazil drew attention to the acknowledgment by the Human Rights Council of the linkage and complementarity between the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance with the long-term destruction of democratic societies. She requested the panellists to provide additional strategies to deal with the rise of xenophobic and racist discourse as a political tool. 78. The representative of the Russian Federation warned of a recent commemorative event in one country conducted for veterans of the Waffen-SS divisions. She stressed that this event and others were setting a wrong example to younger generations and could negatively influence the way in which young people related to Nazism. She stated that the Russian Federation was committed to preventing Nazi and neo-Nazi movements from acting on Russian territory. She called upon States to work together in order to root out budding movements which incited racism, Nazism and xenophobia. 79. The representative of Pakistan said that in certain parts of the world, freedom of expression was afforded great importance and thus provided a space for hate speech. She noted that practical strategies should be adopted to address such a phenomenon. 80. The representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela condemned racist acts against migrants and reaffirmed the firm commitment of his country to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in particular those attitudes that led to racial, national or religious discrimination. 11