The UN advocates for a more “civic” world in the commemoration of the Day against Hate Speech

Recognizes the difficulty of confronting this discourse when laws in this regard are maliciously used to silence dissidents

18 (EUROPA PRESS)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called on the international community to work together for a world “a little more respectful and civic” in a message to commemorate the International Day against Hate Speech , an especially prominent scourge on social networks and against which there is no, he acknowledged, “a silver bullet.”

“We know that hate is employed by those who want to sow discord, look for scapegoats and distract from the real issues. Social media is particularly fertile ground for this discourse, which it spreads with unprecedented speed and reach. And the Hate engenders discrimination and violence”, he made known in his message.

Throughout today, the United Nations will recall numerous examples of this discourse, which encourages inter-community confrontations throughout the planet and which, as the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, also recalls, “is often directed at vulnerable groups , which reinforces discrimination, stigma and marginalization”.

Turk recognized the enormous difficulty involved in fighting against this discourse because the same laws designed to combat it are negligently used to silence journalists and defenders of Human Rights; overly broad laws that states use to censor dissent or threaten those who question their policies.

“What can we do? There is no silver bullet, it is not a switch we can turn off. We can only resort to precise measures to limit its spread, to isolate those who spread it and to build respect, instead of criminalizing speech that does they have to be protected,” the high commissioner said.

Among these measures, the UN proposes increasing investment in efforts to combat hate speech in languages ​​other than English, listening to those most affected and providing them with better channels to raise their concerns, and holding companies accountable for their inaction in defend human rights.

“We must invest in digital and media literacy programs, human rights education and support mechanisms to provide independent fact-checking with the participation of journalists and civil society,” added Turk.

The high commissioner ended his message with a few words dedicated to the “megaphones”, those public officials and communicators whose words greatly influence the behavior of the population, so that they contribute to amplify voices “that can nip this discourse at the root”.