Publications
SHIFTS IN ARMENIAN POLITICS: PERSISTENT DEMOCRATIC DEFICITS
From 2023 to 2025, Armenia has undergone a period of pronounced political volatility characterized by internal unrest, contested policy reforms, and escalating concerns regarding the erosion of democratic norms. The consequences of the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh crisis precipitated a significant transformation in the country’s political environment, weakening public confidence in state institutions and intensifying opposition to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s leadership.
PEOPLE WITHOUT A FUTURE: THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY IN KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan
, a former republic of the Soviet Union, possesses a long and deeply entrenched history of hostility toward homosexuals and other members of the LGBTQ community.
The Problems of Tolerance in Spain (2017)
Dr. Ana G. Juanatey holds a PhD in International Law by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). She is currently working as a Post-doc researcher at the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) and as a part-time lecturer at the UPF. She has worked at the Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, and she has done consultancy work for the World Bank and the Barcelona City Council, among others.
In the area of hate speech and discrimination, she is the editor-in-chief of the Barcelona City Council web-based project #BCNvsOdi. Previously, she was one of the founders of the Observatorio PROXI, a pioneering project launched in 2013 with the aim of analyzing hate speech in Spanish online media. Moreover, she has recently co-authored “Hate Speech in Social Media: a state-of-the art review” (2017, summary in English), the “Practical guide for Cyberactivism“ (2017, only in Spanish) and the “Practical handbook to identify and act against hate speech and hate crime” (2018, only in Spanish). From 2018, she is taking part in the Program of the European Tolerance Center "Xenophobia and Radicalism in Europe".
Dr. Bettina Steible holds a PhD in Law from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ES) with research stays at UC Berkeley (USA) and Paris I (FR). She currently serves as a project assistant for EuroMed Justice, a EU-funded project on judicial cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean area She has also worked on consultancy projects in the field of EU law and human rights for EU and national institutions or organisations.
Prior to that, she worked as pre-doctoral researcher and lecturer in law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, research assistant at EIPA, and Global Connections Volunteer at the Global Perspectives Office of the University of Central Florida (USA). Her research interests include human rights law, international law, EU law, and Euro-Mediterranean issues. In 2018, she took part in the European Tolerance Center Program "Xenophobia and Radicalism in Europe".
Dr. Ana G. Juanatey and Dr. Bettina Steible are the authors of the Report about the Xenophobia and Radicalism in Spain (2017). In their Article their highlighted that during the last decades, Spain has developed a legal and policy framework regarding minority rights and protection generally consistent with international norms. Moreover, there have been relevant recent legal and policy efforts revolving around the fight against hate crime...
Xenophobia and Radicalism in Ireland (2017)
Dr William Allchorn is a specialist on anti-Islamic protest movements and radical right social movements in the UK and Western Europe. His PhD thesis mapped political, policing and local authority responses to the English Defence League in five UK locations. William is now working on his first research monograph under contract with Routledge – looking at policy responses to the EDL and Britain First over the past decade. His previous published work has looked at the dynamics of activism within anti-Islam movements and counter-extremism responses towards such groups. William has taught undergraduate courses and given lectures on the radical right in Western Europe; both at the social movement and party political level. Previous consultancy has included delivering counter narrative engagement sessions in the North East of England and putting together a ‘Countering Radical Right Narratives’ educational pack due for the Department of Education ‘Educate against Hate’ website. As of January 2017, William Allchorn is the Associate Director of Centre for Analysis of the Radical Rights (CARR). He is also the Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leeds and Visiting Lecturer in Politics, Leeds Trinity University.
Ireland presents itself as somewhat of a peculiarity when looking at forms of Xenophobia and Radicalism. As this report will discuss, Ireland’s above average support for migrants and lack of an organised or successful radical right political scene marks it out as an anomalous case of moderation tolerance within Western Europe. Moreover, elite discourse towards minorities and migrants tended to be positive on the whole in the period under study (2017). This is not to say, however, that Ireland has not had it struggled with exclusionary practices. As this report highlights, hate crime is still not a specifically enforceable criminal offence and third-party recorded statistics mask the underreporting of these incidences. Moreover, minority representation among law enforcement agencies is remarkably low.
This report will therefore look into the period under study and suggest how far Ireland is an anomalous case - focusing on changes in legislation, the current state of law enforcement practices, rhetoric of government officials, popular attitudes towards migrants (in sport and society) as well as the profile of radical right parties. What will be found is positive adherence to moderation, tolerance and human rights norms on the whole – with some room for improvement in key areas of legislation, law enforcement and underlying popular prejudice against minorities.
REPORT ON XENOPHOBIA, RADICAL NATIONALISM AND EXPRESSIONS OF HATRED IN 2017 – POLAND
Bearing in mind the attitude of the society towards other nations and denominations, especially Muslims, the ruling party and the public service media should refrain from creating a climate of fear and distrust. Since Muslims – an almost non-existing minority in Poland – appeared to be main victims of hate-motivated crimes, a great effort should be done to stop inciting hared against them.
First of all, an anti-Islamic propaganda in public service media must end. Secondly, hate speech and hate-motivated crime should not be classified as marginal problem by the authorities. A policy of zero-tolerance should be implemented.
Report of Xenophobia and Radical nationalism in Netherlands (2017)
The main issue of concern regards the increasing tensions in Dutch society between various minority and majority groups which seem to enhance exclusion and discrimination.
The Problem of Minorities in Austria. Legislation, enforcement, and Radical groups.
Dr. Markus Rheindorf is a famous researcher in the field of Xenophobia and Radicalism in modern Austria. You can find here his report in the framework of the Program of the European Center for Democracy for the Study of Xenophiobia and Radicalism in Europe. Since the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015/2016, Austria has been struggling with a notable increase of generally xenophobic, racist or anti-Muslim sentiments as well as actions. Most of these fall clearly under the extreme-right rubric and many are also categorized as violations of the National Socialism Prohibition Act. However, while there was a turning point in public and political opinion regarding refugees/immigration in late 2015, it is important to realize that this pattern is not a radical break but an intensification or perhaps even resurgence of anti-immigrant attitudes that have a long history in Austria.
REPRESSION OF OPPOSITION AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN GEORGIA
The political and human rights situation in Georgia underwent a significant deterioration during 2025 and 2026, prompting growing concern among international organizations, democratic institutions, and human rights advocates.
Xenophobia, Radicalism and Hate Crime in Croatia (2017)
Dr. Ana Ljubojevic is a Newfelpro postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb, Croatia. She obtained her PhD in Political Systems and Institutional Change at the Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy. Her thesis examined the impact of war crime trials on historical narratives in Croatia and Serbia.
GEORGIA’S SLIDE INTO AUTHORITARIANISM
Formerly regarded as a leading democratic example among post-Soviet states, the Republic of Georgia is now veering dangerously toward authoritarian rule. In recent years, the Georgian Dream party has entrenched its authority by undermining institutional oversight, stifling dissent, curbing press freedoms, and marginalizing political opposition. Tactics such as rigged elections, selective prosecutions, and harsh suppression of civil society have fostered an atmosphere of intimidation and control. As the country drifts further from its Euro-Atlantic ambitions, the erosion of democratic norms has become increasingly apparent and alarming.
PERSISTENT AUTHORITARIAN RULE IN KAZAKHSTAN
Following Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation in March 2019, Kazakhstan appeared poised for political change. However, the core structures of authoritarianism he had built over nearly three decades remained largely untouched.
Xenophobia, Radicalism, and Hate Crime in ITALY, 2016
The author of this publication, Anna Castriota is the Phd candidate in Political History (second doctorate) at University of Northampton, Master in History of Fascism, lecturer in Politics and Terrorism (St Clare's college, Oxford). Anna Castriota is an expert in the field of Italian fascism and radicalism. In her Report, she raises issues related to the Xenophobia, Radicalism and Hate Crime in Italy in 2016.
XENOPHOBIA AND RADICALISM IN FRANCEб 2016
The Article of Dr. Jean-Yves Camus, famous political analyst and the Associate Research Fellow at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS). In his article, which was written for the European center of tolerance, Dr. Camus considers various aspects of tolerance problems in France
RIGA FORUM 2017 DIGEST
In September 2017 the 1st Riga Forum took place in Riga (Latvia)
The Riga Forum was a logical continuation of two conferences – the conference „Holocaust museums and memorial sites in post-communist countries: challenges and opportunities” and the second one - to the contemporary problems of tolerance, mainly – the changes in legislation, ethnic minority-related legal defense practices, the activity of radical groups and the statistics of hate crimes in the member states of the OSCE.
The event was organized by the European Tolerance Center, the Association “Shamir”, the Riga Ghetto Museum and the European Center for the Development of Democracy.
The goal of the forum – forming a comprehensive international society of professional experts on the questions of tolerance, xenophobia, radicalism and hate crimes and raising attention of the international community to the problems of tolerance existing in Europe today.
Please find the Digest of the Riga Forum materials in two languages.
Xenophobia, Radicalism and Hate Crime in Hungary (2016)
This is the detailed Study of the problems of tolerance in Hungary, made by outstanding Hungarian researchers Dr. Ildikó Barna and Mr. Bulcsú Hunyadi. The Study touches upon many aspects of the problem, beginning with changes in legislation relating to minorities and ending with the activities of right-wing radical parties and groups.
PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS IN RUSSIA: A FATE NEVER EASY
Protestant denominations in Russia have experienced a long and often difficult history, beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries when German settlers and foreign merchants introducedLutheran and Reformed traditions under Tsarist rule. Although rulers like Peter the Great and Catherine the Great offered Protestants some degree of religious tolerance, their rights remained unstable and subject to governmental control. During the imperial period, Protestants were permitted to exist but remained on the margins, often limited to ethnically distinct communitiesand faced with barriers to proselytizing and building churches.
ETHNIC POLITICS AND POWER DYNAMICS IN CONTEMPORARY KYRGYZSTAN
Nationalism in Kyrgyzstan is deeply rooted in a complex narrative that blends ethnic identity with the concept of civic statehood. Since gaining independence in 1991, political elites have consistently drawn on historical symbols of unity, frequently invoking the legendary hero Manas to reinforce notions of threatened sovereignty and cultural revival. This historical framework has shaped the country’s understanding of its internal and external challenges and fostered a collective sense of vulnerability, particularly toward neighboring ethnic groups and foreign influences.
Report of Xenophobia, Radicalism and Hate Crime in Netherlands
The human rights in Netherlands are sporadically jeopardized, for instance, when xenophobic or radicalized individuals and groups threat dignity (hate speech against Jews, Muslims, immigrants, homosexuals; ethnic profiling; police racism), or physical integrity (xenophobic, or homophobic attacks, attacks on refugee shelters, etc.)
EUROPEAN XENOPHOBIA AND RADICALISM (2016)
The problem of Xenophobia and Radicalism remains for a number of years one of the main problems in the so-called "Greater Europe." What has changed over the past year?
Analysis is given on the basis of 8 EU countries (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom), as well as Russia and Ukraine, as countries who play a significant role in political and economic processes in Europe.
What is the basis of European Xenophobic Radicalism?
It is commonly believed that the main reason is the presence of entrenched xenophobic traditions of the majority and minority, inadequate legislation on minorities and the increase in migration flows from Asia and Africa, which creates the demand for extreme right policies from the indigenous populations. However, migration from Third World countries into Europe has been present since the 1950s.
In addition, radical Islamists very often are originally second or third generation immigrants, born in Europe and fluent in the language of the country they live in. Therefore, it is fair to say that the cause is more fundamental – in their self-determination and the readiness of minorities to respect the traditions of the majority and vice versa. Does this mean that traditions and legislation play the main role in this issue? Not necessarily. There is a whole range of influencing factors, including the type of integration model implemented by a country.
