Hate speech Hate speech is not a new phenomenon, though in recent years we have heard about it more often, which is most probably due to the fact that it has become widespread mainly on the Internet. The topic of hate speech triggers off lots of controversies related to the limits of freedom of speech. There are those who argue that hate speech should be tolerated, and that limiting it will lead to censorship and the impossibility of exercising full freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is a very important right for each of us - it helps us not feel restricted in thinking and expressing our thoughts. It is important for society as a whole and is the foundation of democracy. It should be taken into account, however, that freedom of speech is not an absolute right and may be subject to certain restrictions in order to protect the others’ dignity. It is often forgotten that hate speech and hate crimes violate many other human rights, such as the right to personal safety, the prohibition of discrimination, the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to life or the right to own property.
Problems with definition Defining hate speech is not easy. It is also not easy to distinguish what hate speech is from what is not. Hate speech can be defined in legal terms, but the phenomenon itself, and thus the concept, appears in sociology, psychology or political science. The definitional problems also result from the fact that the term itself has become very politicised. There are voices that claim that action against hate speech is an attack on free speech, therefore it limits people’s freedom of expression. Let us look at some definitions of hate speech. One of the most frequently quoted definitions in sociological literature was proposed by Lech Nijakowski according to which “hate speech consists of attributing particularly negative characteristics or calling for discriminatory actions against a certain social category, to which membership is perceived as “natural” (assigned) and not by choice” (Nijakowski 2008: 133). What is important here is the recipient, who is characterized by a certain feature of identity (attributed), e.g. specific gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic and national origin or
Constellations . A manual for working with young people on the topic of racism and invisible racism
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