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What It Is
Hate speech means using words, images, cartoons, gestures, symbols or media to attack, insult, or dehumanise people. It targets people because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or background. It goes beyond simple disagreement; it targets identity and spreads hostility toward specific individuals or groups. Hate speech creates an environment of fear, encourages unfair treatment, and makes targeted individuals and groups feel unsafe in their daily lives. And when hateful ideas become normalised, they can lead to unfair treatment in housing, employment, and public services.
Online platforms, public spaces, and traditional media can all spread hateful content and disinformation quickly. However, there is no universal definition of hate speech: International human rights law lacks a single definition for hate speech, though it strictly bans directly encouraging violence or discrimination.
Germany enforces strict laws like the Volksverhetzung (incitement to hatred) criminal law and the 2017 Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG). Social media platforms can face heavy fines if they fail to remove illegal hate speech quickly. In contrast, Japan relies primarily on the 2016 Hate Speech Elimination Act, which publicly condemns hate speech and encourages local governments to raise awareness, but does not impose criminal penalties or fines at the national level.
Broader Issues
Hate speech involves several interconnected social, legal, and technological problems:
Social media and algorithms: Modern tech companies design social media platforms to keep users engaged. Shocking, angry, or hateful posts often get shared faster than positive content. While major global platforms have policies against hate speech, automated systems often struggle to detect harmful posts, especially when written in local languages, slang, or coded phrases.
Balancing free speech and protection: A central global debate focuses on how to address hate speech without limiting freedom of expression. Some people worry that strict laws against hate speech might allow governments to censor political opponents or silence critics. On the other hand, allowing hate speech to spread without control can harm vulnerable individuals and groups and restrict their freedom to live peacefully.
Real-world violence and discrimination: Online hate speech frequently leads directly to real-world harm, causing physical harassment, property damage, or hate crimes against specific communities. For example, targeted online attacks against religious or ethnic minorities have sparked deadly attacks on places of worship, including a synagogue in the USA (2018) and a mosque in New Zealand (2019). In another case, widespread online hate campaigns against immigrant groups have led directly to violence against minority neighbourhoods, such as the repeated arson attacks on refugee shelters in eastern Germany.
Political exploitation and xenophobia: Public figures and extremist groups sometimes use hate speech to gain influence. By blaming minority groups, immigrants, or foreign workers for local economic problems or social stress, leaders and online influencers can manipulate public emotion, create divisions, and increase hostility toward outsiders.
Hate speech in Japan: In Japan, hate speech often affects foreign residents, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable groups, particularly Zainichi Koreans (ethnic Koreans residing in Japan), foreign workers, and indigenous Ainu communities. One example is far-right rallies where extreme political groups use loudspeakers to shout offensive insults near Korean schools or businesses. Another is viral social media campaigns blaming non-Japanese residents for local crimes during natural disasters.
Which points in the What It Is section and/or the Broader Issues overview do you find the most interesting, and which points do you have questions about? Why?
Do you disagree with any points in the AI Overview? If so, which point(s), and why?
Share your ideas about 1. and 2. with (an)other student(s).
What do you find interesting, surprising, or worrying about Hate Speech Issues?
What do you want to find out about Hate Speech? Why?
What focus do you want to take in your inquiry:
People's individual experiences and perspectives?
Situations and issues in a local community, town or city?
Different actions taken by local or regional organisations and actors?
Law, policy, human rights, political issues, or systemic changes at the national/international levels?
A mixture of angles and viewpoints?
4. What are your starting questions and next steps?