Minority Monitor presents: Hate Speech in Media and Social Media

The regulation of hate speech in media is a relatively new phenomenon, especially in the common European space. Regulation is particularly challenging, as efforts to counteract malicious content and to sanction its purposeful proliferation are often misinterpreted and countered as violation of the fundamental human rights of freedom of opinion and expression and as censorship.

Despite the significant achievements regarding the regulation of hateful content disseminated via traditional media, such as TV, radio, or print media (including their online publications), the proliferation of hate speech on social media and online channels is a significant challenge that needs to be addressed. The advancement of technology-enabled direct and real-time access to large audiences enabled the transmission of malicious content and biased interpretations of reality and fake news. The sheer scale of the phenomenon and the problematic implementation of laws concerning internet traffic and content, especially when hate speech is generated by algorithms or disseminated globally by anonymous users, evoked reactions from international institutions.

In support of FUEN’s MUTE HATE SPEECH campaign, the Minority Monitor project mapped and will continue to map cases of hate speech against minorities in all of its forms – written, verbal, and visual – disseminated through media, online platforms, art, street art, or aggressive acts.

Within just a month after the first call for inputs, eight member organisations from seven countries submitted 40 cases to the Minority Hate Monitor, ranging range from hate speech to assaults and vandalism, all targeting national minorities and/or their members.

FUEN continues to collect cases, which will be published on a rolling basis. Your contribution is crucial in this fight against hate speech. To provide input, please use the following reporting form: https://forms.gle/ZX4bBA1XWehqgeAb7   

The cases were processed and grouped in several thematical lines for reporting purposes. The current article introduces

Hate speech online and on air

Following the FUEN’s call for information submission, between June and July 2024, eleven cases of hate messages disseminated via traditional, online and social media within the period 2015-2024 were reported to the Minority Monitor by minority organisations from Croatia, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain (Catalunya), and Poland. Four of these are cases of hate speech on TV and nine provide examples of the proliferation of verbal hate attacks on groups and individuals in social media.

From racist and anti-minority rhetoric, through vulgar vocabulary, to challenged right to language and identity, the reported incidents are only a small, even hardly representative sample for the great variety of negative comments, messages, and ideas disseminated thanks to the easier and low-cost access to the online platforms, where the state control over illegal content is not yet adequately regulated.

The Minority Monitor not only presents these cases, but also gives an overview on the current state of the fight against hate speech in media and online. Visit the Minority Monitor website to consult these cases!

Further reading:

Minority Monitor presents: Linguistic diversity under hate attacks

Minority Monitor presents: Authorities and politicians promoting hate against minorities

Minority Monitor presents: From Hate Messages to Hate Crimes