UN Secretary-General António Guterres did not overstate it when he warned of the global “groundswell” of hate speech that is “spreading like wildfire.”
Guterres said that hatred is an attack on tolerance and diversity that hinders efforts to achieve peace, stability and sustainable development. Despite the prohibition of hate speech in several countries, including the UAE, millions of people continue to suffer widespread hatred and discrimination on the basis of belief, race, gender or other grounds.
The issue does not only affect specific religious or ethnic groups. What is worrying is that hate speech is no longer just slogans, but even goes so far as to commit crimes, as it is in many regions and countries. The situation becomes more complicated when there is a favourable context for this discourse and opposes pluralism and tolerance.
We are convinced that hate speech did not originate in the present era. The international debate began in the 1960s with the publication of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination, which directly criminalized this discourse.
Given the growing role of social media in recent years, these platforms have strongly stimulated the dissemination and promotion of hate speech. Often, these often turn into verbal war zones, whether between ethnic or religious groups or even between sports groups.
Recently, France signed an agreement with Facebook to launch an anti-hate campaign on the site and to share data on suspected criminals with the French courts. The agreement is a positive step towards countering the growth of this unfortunate phenomenon. This unprecedented deal is a positive step towards countering the growth of this nasty problem. It provides concrete support to the efforts of the largest social platform in this field.
In May, Facebook revealed that it had deleted 19.2 billion accounts on its platform in the fight against hate speech. The company did not wait for reports from the affected people, but took the initiative and deleted the suspicious accounts. Given the large number of accounts, efforts in this area still need to be continued and intensified, particularly at the legislative level by all.
The criticism of social networking platforms is not only about combating hate speech. We are also talking about the speed of response and the efficiency required to eliminate hate content as quickly and effectively as possible. Content is often deleted after it has spread and left behind serious after-effects in the community.
In Europe, there is strong legislative pressure to penalize social media companies that do not take sufficient action against hate content. The French Parliament is currently considering a draft law on this subject. In Germany, a law was enacted in 2018, but the fine remained below expectations. Of course, efforts to combat hate on the Internet are to be commended. The issue has spread beyond borders in many parts of the world.
In many Arab countries, the use of social networks to incite conflict and hatred between ethnic, sectarian or religious components is a major problem. There are even regional powers that use social networks to launch organized campaigns aimed at fuelling ethnic, racial or religious hatred.
The UAE realized the seriousness of this devastating discourse years ago. In 2015, the country adopted the Federal Decree Law on Combating Discrimination and Hate. The law defines as a crime any statement or act likely to cause conflict or discrimination between individuals or groups.
This law provides for dissuasive penalties for anyone involved in a hate crime:
“Any person, who commits any act involving hate speech by any means of expression or by any other means, shall be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not less than five years and to a fine not less than five hundred thousand dirhams and not exceeding one million dirhams or either one of these two penalties.”
Indeed, social security, stability and tolerance must not be left to individual efforts or ordinary plans in a world as eventful as ours.
It is therefore imperative that all countries strive to combat hate speech both legally and judicially to establish a culture of respect and respect for others, as well as to reduce the harm of hate speech in the social fabric.
