Hate speech is the act of creating and/or spreading hateful messages towards an individual or a group, based on a particular attribute, such as ethnicity, religion, belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, nationality, country of origin, disability, etc. Hate speech incorporates any communication that is abusive, threatening or insulting.

Violence attributed to online hate speech is increasing worldwide, meaning that this is no longer a crime seen solely in the vacuum of the internet, but has horrific real life consequences. An increase of attacks against immigrant communities in Germany, the Jewish community in France, alt-white attacks in America are all examples of recent hate crimes, which find their ideological roots in online forums, messages and websites.
So what’s being done to combat this ever increasing threat? The above video from Facebook demonstrates how social media platforms are attempting to protect users against becoming victims of hate speech. Continue exploring our site to discover how YouTube fight hate speech on their platform.

Watch Hate Lab’s video to see an example of one of many initiative projects designed to use new technologies to battle online hate speech:

For more information about hate speech, visit the International Network for Hate Studies (hyperlink: www.internationalhatestudies.com)

Follow an online training on hate and extremism by The Centre for Hate Studies.

In addition to being free of charge and accessible to individuals and organisations based anywhere in the world, each training module includes real life case studies and good practice recommendations which are designed to shape improved levels of knowledge and understanding hate and extremism.

The modules can be accessed on:
http://www.centreforhatestudies.com/