The first issue of Civic Arena, a new magazine focusing on the non-profit sector in Europe, with a particular attention to Central and Eastern European countries, has just been launched. The magazine aims to contribute to sharing information and knowledge among civil society organizations in Europe and to increasing NGOs’ capacity for joint action.

The first issue of the magazine is dedicated to Hate Speech in the context of rising extremism, populism, racism and xenophobia across Europe. The magazine includes interviews with key actors in combating hate speech, overviews of in-country situations, good practices and other initiatives to counter the phenomenon.

The first issue of Civic Arena reveals once again that Hate Speech is a highly dangerous phenomenon which does not spare any country in Europe. The target groups for hate speech are rather similar in most of the countries, yet each particular context and each future crisis can shift the weight to new and different groups. It is thus important to act now, to educate the public and the decision makers that “words matter” and that the road from speech to violence is short.  

Civic Arena is published annually by the Civil Society Development Foundation of Romania with the financial support of EEA grants 2009 – 2014, NGO Found in Romania.

The first issue of Civic Arena can be accessed here .