Online hate speech leads to real life violence – CHR

The CHR expressed support to a United Nations initiative against hate speech and campaign to teach persons how to deal with hate speech. (Pexels Photo)

MANILA – Online hate speech in social media platforms could lead to cruelty and violence in real life, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said Thursday.

The CHR expressed support to a United Nations initiative against hate speech and campaign to teach persons how to deal with hate speech.

“Words can be weapons,” the CHR said in a statement. “From making your social feeds a no-hate zone to checking facts and sharing messages of tolerance and equality, each of us can take action to say ‘No to Hate’.”

Hate speech occurs in all societies, whether offline or online, the UN said.

It noted that a comment could sometimes be difficult to asses whether it was meant as hate speech, especially when expressed in the virtual world but people can take a stand against hate speech even if one is not a victim.

“Refrain from making any hateful comments yourself and/or relaying such content. Whether online or offline, we should all act responsibly to stop the spread of hate and misinformation,” the UN said.

“Learn how to do this responsibly – whether you’re forwarding a message, retweeting a story or watching a video in your feed.”

To detect false and biased information, including hate speech propaganda, the public is advised to check the content’s origin with the help of search engines, fact-checking tools and other reliable sources.

Apart from reporting online accounts propagating hate speech, every person is encouraged take a public stand and extend solidarity to the targets to show that rejecting hate speech is an individual responsibility.

The UN also encouraged the public to help raise awareness of hate speech, online or offline, by advocating for responsible behavior and sharing public campaigns and educational resources.

“Consider joining an non-government organization or other civil society initiative that works to address the issue of hate speech in your community,” it said.