We must stand against hate crimes
Recently I have gone through a report which provided a comparative overview of legal and policy responses to ‘hate speech’ in six EU countries: Austria, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom.
The report has found hate speech to be a significant problem across all countries. Despite some examples of good practice, legal and regulatory frameworks in these countries are failing to adequately address these problems.
So far as I know, hate speech is not a new problem in Europe or Western countries. But in the recent times it is increasing. If I tell specifically, the ‘hate speech’ incidents, motivated on various grounds, have increased there over the past two decades. Not only that, it is also reflected in the media, online and in political discourse.
I express concern over hate speech as it often provokes haters to commit hate crimes. Several people either have been killed or severely injured in hateful attacks, and what is most sorrowful is that the Muslims are mainly targeted by the haters. I don’t understand why EU countries along with USA are not taking tough stance against the hate crimes.
Nur Bahar Begum
Florida, USA
