A/HRC/20/38 to fully respect their obligations under articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and reiterates, like his predecessor, that determining which acts or expressions may meet the thresholds determined in articles 19 to 20 of the Covenant and article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is ultimately a decision that is best made by an independent and impartial court or tribunal in accordance with international standards, after a thorough assessment of the individual circumstances of each case (A/HRC/18/44, para. 30). IV. Preventing the adverse effects of extremist political parties, movements and groups on youth 14. It is a major concern that youth are particularly vulnerable to extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis, skinhead groups and similar extremist ideological movements. A similar issue was already raised by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which expressed its concern at the rise in xenophobic and right-wing tendencies among youth and at the reported growth in outreach activities by extremist organizations using electronic social networks to expand their propaganda specifically among youth.11 In this regard, repeated attacks against foreigners and members of minorities by young extremists were reported, including a specific case regarding the attack on foreign students by a group of high school students, who reportedly had an initiation video of a far-right activist group on their mobiles.12 According to information received in some countries, violent racist attacks are often committed by groups of skinhead youth who are not necessarily members of structured right-wing organizations or formally registered groups, but rather belong to a skinhead subculture. In this regard, it was reported that such attacks are frequently severe, resulting in serious wounding by beating, knifing or shooting.13 Furthermore, extremist movements and groups, including neo-Nazis, reportedly often use fashion to get their ideologies accepted, including through stores selling fashion brands popular among neo-Nazis that attract young people. It was reported that such shops serve for networking and have also become meeting points for local neo-Nazi groups, where “cool” brands give their young customers a sense of belonging. According to information received in some countries, music concerts have been used by extreme right wing and neo-Nazi groups as a space to spread their ideology,14 attract young people and recruit new members, including unemployed youth. 15. Specific awareness-raising campaigns aimed at preventing and dissuading youth from joining extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazi and skinhead groups and similar extremist ideological movements, should be carried out. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur welcomes information provided about campaigns launched in schools by civil society organizations to raise awareness about neo-Nazi ideology. He emphasizes that human rights education is a key tool in countering the rise of extremist political parties, movements and groups among the young generation, and building a society based on pluralism, tolerance, respect for cultural diversity, multiculturalism and non-discrimination. Furthermore, while it is important to educate and sensitize youth about 11 12 13 14 8 See CERD/C/LIE/CO/3; CERD/C/UKR/CO/19-21. Alternative report submitted to the Committee on Racial Discrimination at its 79th session (8 August2 September 2011). ECRI, Fourth report on Ukraine (CRI (2012) 6). Available from http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/ monitoring/ecri/library/publications_en.asp. Ibid.