The Wife of the President, Elizabeta Gjorgievska, participated in the promotion of the joint campaign of the European Union and the Council of Europe in North Macedonia titled “Block Hate. Share Love” as part of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022” program.
In her address, the President’s Wife pointed out that the only adequate response to hatred of diversity is to respect the dignity of the different, thus blocking hatred in action and sharing the love understood as caring for the innate dignity of the vulnerable.
Gjorgievska stressed that all free and democratic states and societies face the challenge of how to deal with hate speech without restricting fundamental human freedom of speech.
“I believe this can only be achieved through the responsible use of freedom of speech. No human right is exclusive but shared. The right for one is a right for the other and a shared obligation for all members of society. Together, in solidarity, we need to block hatred, to share love and thus build a just society free of prejudices”, Gjorgievska said.
The campaign aims to reach the citizens living in the Western Balkans, conveying messages about the dangers of hate speech in our societies by presenting love as an alternative to hatred. The campaign uses testimonies and includes public figures, well known in the region.