United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged caution as hate speech is now spreading widely across the globe in digital spaces.
He said this as the world marked International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
“In our digital age, hate speech spreads faster than ever. It’s the first step down the path of dehumanisation that leads to violence, conflict, and atrocity crimes. Let’s reject prejudice in all its forms and work together to build a world based on human rights, dignity, and respect,” he urged.
The UN defines Hate Speech as “any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group based on who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.”
The multilateral organisation holds that taming the vice is critical as the spread of hateful rhetoric can be an early warning of violence, including atrocity crimes.
On Thursday, Adama Dieng, the African Union special envoy on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide and other Mass Atrocities, noted that no campaign of mass violence begins with the first bullet or the first victim.
“They begin with ideas. They begin with prejudice. They begin when individuals and communities are portrayed as less worthy of dignity, respect, and protection. They begin when hatred becomes normalised and when silence allows intolerance to flourish,” he said.
He cited manifestations of xenophobic violence happening on the continent as a reminder that no society is immune.
“When Africans are targeted because of their nationality, origin, religion, ethnicity, or social identity, the values upon which African unity was built are undermined. We must never accept the normalisation of hatred against fellow Africans or against any human being,” he urged.
Following Kenya’s painful experiences with ethnic polarisation and electoral violence, particularly the 2007/2008 post-election crisis, the state established the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to promote national cohesion, integration and peaceful coexistence.
However, over the years, the Commission has been blamed for being ineffective in curbing hate speech in the country, particularly during election seasons when hate speech gets to be on the rise as political factions share inflammatory sentiments to fan emotions amongst their supporters.
In its action plan against Hate Speech and Radical Ideologies, the commission, however, says it suffers from weak legal backing in its fight against hate speech.
“NCIC is unable to fulfil its mandate due to a lack of clarity on hate speech laws. Hate speech vs free speech. Kenya also suffers from weak implementation of laws and prosecution processes,” the Commission notes in the Action Plan.
It adds that when it comes to curbing online spread of hate speech, online hate mongers use pseudo identities, thus it becomes harder to identify them.
Others commit hate speech from other jurisdictions, thereby making it harder to nail them down.
It also cites the Electronic Evidence Act as requiring that technical details be provided for evidence to be admissible in court.
Another key challenge lies with the perpetrators of hate speech who, the commission says, are usually politicians or persons allied to powerful figures in the country who end up frustrating the cases, intimidating witnesses and so forth.
The African Union insists that everyone has a role to play in curbing the spread of hate speech.
“Governments must uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability. Political leaders must reject rhetoric that divides. Media organisations and technology companies must act responsibly. Religious and traditional leaders must promote understanding and dialogue. Educational institutions must cultivate critical thinking and respect for diversity. Above all, young people must be empowered to become ambassadors of inclusion rather than vectors of division,” Adama said.
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