The Secretary General of the Council of Europe (COE), Marija Pejčinović Burić has appointed Daniel Höltgen to the new position of Special Representative on Antisemitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes.
Commenting on the appointment, the Secretary General said: “On Friday it will be one year since the deadly antisemitic attack at a Synagogue in Halle, Germany, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. In February this year, a far-right extremist killed 10 people, several of them with a Muslim background, in Hanau. These are no longer isolated events. We are witnessing an alarming increase in antisemitic and anti-Muslim attacks in many parts of Europe today, often incited and aggravated by hate speech online.
The new Special Representative will liaise with counterparts in the Council of Europe member states, exchange information and best practice with different partners and enhance co-operation towards effective counter strategies at the European level.
He will start his new function on 1 November. Daniel Höltgen, who is British and German, will maintain his current position as the COE’s Director of Communications which he has held since 2010. Höltgen previously worked in senior positions in the German government and in EU institutions.
