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Online intolerance to hate crimes
The Council of Europe said it supports countries in the fight against all forms of online religious intolerance, highlighting initiatives led by its Special Representative on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious intolerance at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Türkiye on 20 April 2026.
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The Council of Europe said its standards have evolved for digital developments, citing the 2022 Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers on combating hate speech (offline and online) and CM/Rec(2026)4 on online safety and empowerment of users and content creators.
In the United Kingdom, Muslim leaders described hate crime against Muslims as reaching new levels, with Akeela Ahmed, head of the British Muslim Trust, saying, “We’re in an unprecedented situation since the Southport riots of 2024,” and adding that “The violence we’re seeing now really reminds me of that kind of racism, but this is also another level.”
The Guardian also reported that anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales rose by 19% in the 12 months to March 2025, according to Home Office figures, while the Council of Europe framed its work around standards that set limits on freedom of expression in the context of religious hatred.
Voices describe fear and attacks
Akeela Ahmed told The Guardian that she had been shocked by what she heard while travelling across the country, describing stories including a canvasser in Barking and Dagenham being told by an occupant that she should be “hanged.”
Ahmed said the scale of anti-Muslim hatred in Britain had yet to properly register with much of the public and political class, and she linked the current moment to earlier experiences her parents had of racism in the late 70s and early 80s.
The Guardian reported that Keir Starmer told parliament the attack near a mosque in Edinburgh last weekend appeared to have been motivated by anti-Muslim hatred, and it said a man was charged with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by a terrorist connection.
In the same coverage, Shaista Gohir, founder of the Muslim Women’s Network, said ministers had acted “quickly and swiftly” after the racist riots of 2024 but had become increasingly hesitant, adding, “They lacked courage to actually speak out.”
What’s at stake next
The Council of Europe said CM/Rec(2026)4 provides a framework for drafting legislation that obliges platforms to be accountable for how they handle illegal and other harmful content, while maintaining platform liability exemptions for illegal content they host (“safe sphere”).
“London — James, a young British man who had recently converted to Islam, chose the name 'Jacob' after embracing the faith”
It also pointed to the 2024 Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law and ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 5 on combating racism and discrimination against Muslims as essential guidance for fighting digital religious intolerance.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported that Ahmed’s team documented 27 attacks against 25 mosques in 23 different parts of the country over a three-month period, and it said in Scotland Muslims were the target of nearly a third of religious hate crime.
The Guardian also quoted Shabna Begum of Runnymede Trust warning after the 2024 riots, “No one wants to be seen to defend Muslims,” as the article described a widening gap between reported attacks and what Muslim leaders said they saw as a coordinated response from government, police, media and other institutions.
