diff --git a/searx/templates/courgette/404.html b/searx/templates/courgette/404.html
index 9e3b8ac29..7a317f023 100644
--- a/searx/templates/courgette/404.html
+++ b/searx/templates/courgette/404.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 <div class="center">
     <h1>{{ _('Page not found') }}</h1>
     {% autoescape false %}
-    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page=unicode('<a href="{}">{}</a>').format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
+    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page='<a href="{}">{}</a>'.format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
     {% endautoescape %}
 </div>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/searx/templates/legacy/404.html b/searx/templates/legacy/404.html
index 3e889dd21..c0fa62b00 100644
--- a/searx/templates/legacy/404.html
+++ b/searx/templates/legacy/404.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 <div class="center">
     <h1>{{ _('Page not found') }}</h1>
     {% autoescape false %}
-    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page=unicode('<a href="{}">{}</a>').format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
+    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page='<a href="{}">{}</a>'.format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
     {% endautoescape %}
 </div>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/searx/templates/oscar/404.html b/searx/templates/oscar/404.html
index 5a50880a9..cdb31db73 100644
--- a/searx/templates/oscar/404.html
+++ b/searx/templates/oscar/404.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 <div class="text-center">
     <h1>{{ _('Page not found') }}</h1>
     {% autoescape false %}
-    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page=unicode('<a href="{}">{}</a>').format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
+    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page='<a href="{}">{}</a>'.format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
     {% endautoescape %}
 </div>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/searx/templates/simple/404.html b/searx/templates/simple/404.html
index 11d604313..1a10514cc 100644
--- a/searx/templates/simple/404.html
+++ b/searx/templates/simple/404.html
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 <div class="center">
     <h1>{{ _('Page not found') }}</h1>
     {% autoescape false %}
-    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page=unicode('<a href="{}">{}</a>').format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
+    <p>{{ _('Go to %(search_page)s.', search_page='<a href="{}">{}</a>'.format(url_for('index'), _('search page'))) }}</p>
     {% endautoescape %}
 </div>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/searx/webapp.py b/searx/webapp.py
index 6bc132e18..ec2968259 100755
--- a/searx/webapp.py
+++ b/searx/webapp.py
@@ -408,8 +408,6 @@ def render(template_name, override_theme=None, **kwargs):
 
     kwargs['results_on_new_tab'] = request.preferences.get_value('results_on_new_tab')
 
-    kwargs['unicode'] = str
-
     kwargs['preferences'] = request.preferences
 
     kwargs['brand'] = brand