The United Nations (UN), an organized body that emerged after the Second World War following the dissolution of the League of Nations, made a public service announcement on Sunday to address the issue of hate speech.
In cases deemed more severe, the UN urges individuals to “notify organizations dedicated to combating hate speech and/or file a complaint with law enforcement (or the public prosecutor).”
Some countries offer online tools to facilitate the reporting of hate speech. However, the announcement did not provide a specific definition of hate speech.
This announcement coincides with Australia, a United Nations member, issuing a notice to Twitter last week, requiring the social media platform to submit a report to Australia’s regulatory agency within a month, outlining its efforts to combat hate speech.
Failure to comply could result in daily fines. Newsmax contacted eSafety, Australia’s online regulatory agency, to obtain a copy of the report regarding the sudden surge in hate speech, but no such report was provided.
According to the UN, there are eight recommended steps to address hate speech: “pause, fact-check, react, challenge, support, report, educate, and commit.”
In everyday language, “hate speech” generally refers to offensive discourse that targets a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics like race, religion, or gender and has the potential to disrupt social harmony.
The United Nations (UN) has defined hate speech in its Strategy and Plan of Action Hate Speech to establish a cohesive global framework for addressing this issue.
According to the UN, hate speech encompasses “any form of communication, whether behavioral, verbal, or written, that attacks or employs discriminatory or derogatory language towards a group or person based on their race, nationality, religion, ethnicity, color, gender, descent, or other identifying factors.”
However, it is essential to note that there is currently no universally accepted definition of hate speech under international human rights law.
The concept is still a topic of ongoing discussion, particularly concerning principles such as freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, racial and cultural equality, and non-discrimination.
