December 6, 2024 • 32 mins
Join us in this episode of ALDA Podcast “Shades of Democracy”, as we dive deep into the critical issue of hate speech and its intersection with gender and inclusion policies. Our guests, Sara Afendi (ALDA) and Hana Kojakovic (Media Diversity Institute), share their experiences tackling religious-based hate speech through projects like “Get The Trolls Out” and “HATEDEMICS”, and explore practical strategies for fostering inclusive dialogue. Tune in to discover how communities and media literacy can drive positive change and help build a more democratic, inclusive society!
Useful links:
HATEDEMICS Project ➡️https://hatedemics.eu/
STAND UP Project Handbook ➡️ https://stand-up-project.eu/tag/handbook/
ALDA Anti Discrimination Policy ➡️https://bit.ly/3BjGev9
GTTO Monitoring Reporst ➡️https://getthetrollsout.org/resources/reports
Useful links:
HATEDEMICS Project ➡️https://hatedemics.eu/
STAND UP Project Handbook ➡️ https://stand-up-project.eu/tag/handbook/
ALDA Anti Discrimination Policy ➡️https://bit.ly/3BjGev9
GTTO Monitoring Reporst ➡️https://getthetrollsout.org/resources/reports
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Hello, and welcome to a new episode of alda's podcast
Shades of Democracy. I'm Anal Sneedi from the communications team
of ALDA and I will be your host today. In
this episode, we are diving into the critical topic of
hate speech and its intersection with gender and inclusion policies.
(00:41):
Height speech, whether rooted in religion, gender, or other societal divisions,
poses significant challenges to fostering inclusive, democratic societies. ALDA. We
tackle these issues through various initiatives, including the Get the
Trolls Out Project. GTTO specifically addresses hate speech in the
(01:04):
media with a focus on combating religious based hate and
misinformation while promoting ethical journalism and tolerance. Similarly, alda's Anti
Discrimination policy provides a clear framework to uphold inclusion, equality
and respect across all our activities and partnerships, ensuring our
(01:28):
work fosters is society free from discrimination. To help us
untack this topic today, we are joined by two remarkable guests,
Sarah Fendi, project manager at ALDA who works on the
Hatademics Project and within the Gender Inclusion and Human Rights Hub,
and Hana kohakoviccha project manager at the Media Diversity Institute
(01:54):
and leader of the Get the Trolls Out Project. Together,
they will share their insights, strategies and experiences in takeolin
height speech and promoting inclusive dialogue. So welcome Satah and Hannah.
It's a real pleasure to have you both with us.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Thank you Anna for inviting me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yes, thank you so much for them.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So my first question is for you, Hannah. Could you
give us an overview of the Get the Trolls Out
project and how it addresses religious based hate speech while
promoting inclusion.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yes, of course, thank you, so you gave a bit
of an overview. But just to mention, Get the Trolls
Out as a project that aims to combat religious discrimination
within the European media space, so this is both traditional
online social media. The project has been running since twenty fifteen,
so it's currently in its tenth year and fifth phase,
and in this phase, Media Diversity Institute based in the
(02:51):
UK is the lead partner alongside six like minded organizations
in Europe. So specifically this is Modova, Germany, Belgium, Hungary,
Poland and of course yourselves out in France. So our
main activities in the project involve monitoring the media space
both using AI and human capacity and looking in it
(03:13):
ways to react and respond to incidents of hate and
religious discrimination. So predominantly this involves writing netriskt to editors,
reporting incidents to social media platforms, writing articles and blogs
on topics and issues in our countries of operation, as
well as organizing various campaigns end up promoting inclusivity and understanding.
(03:33):
So we strive to collaborate with the communities we represent
by offering them a voice and a platform rather than
speaking on their behalf. And our focus is also on
amplifying positive stories and counter narratives of challenging hate. So
predominantly we work with Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities to
promote mutual respect and religious pluralism.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Thank you very much. This gives definitely a clearer overview
on the work you're doing, and indeed, unfortunately more and
more these kind of projects are needed het speech seems
to increase rather than decrease nowadays. Hopefully having more like
(04:18):
more entities like yours, like the organization you work for,
or more projects on this will create some knowledge and
combat bias based also hate speech. So thank you for
your work. The next question is for Sarah so And
(04:38):
that recently concluded the stand UP project and it's currently
working on the Academics projects. They are both on the
realm of hate speech. So can you share key lessons
or outcomes from these projects that relate to combating hate speech.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
So yes, thank you very much much for the question, Manal,
because these two projects I think are very outstanding. Stand
Up concluded the last January and it focused on creating
a comprehensive, multifaced framework to combat hate speech and hate crimes.
And its peculiar approach is about the integration of victim
(05:23):
support into every stage of intervention. So this ensures that
all action, be it by law enforcements, civil society organization
or the judiciary sector, are collaborative and victim centric. And
one of the key outcomes of this project has been
the Victim Support Handbook.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It is a manual that aims.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
To offer support to public authorities in particular law enforcement
agency and judicial bodies to offer guidelines and best practices
to strengthen victim support and protection in.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
All the processes.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Besides, we can say that it also promotes the cooperation
with civil society organizations to ensure the prioritarization of victim
protection and also given the presence of public authorities ensure
(06:25):
and encourage sensitive investigation and persecution. While the Academics Project
which stands for hampering hate speech and this information through
AI based technologies to prevent and combat polarization and the
spread of racist, cenophobic and intolerance speech and conspiracy theories.
(06:49):
It is a project that uses AI based technologies to
empower engeos, fact checkers, public authorities and also young activists
to identify and combat intolerant hate speech as well as
conspiracy theories. Of course, and one of the key outcomes
(07:14):
of the project will be the creation of a fact
checking platform where fact checking organizations and also civil society
organization have developed to tackle hate speech within the framework
of the project. The project started last March and we
(07:38):
will conclude on February twenty twenty six and we've been
doing an amazing work work together with the concertium of
the Hidemics Project led by from that Jennie Berlo cassileo FBK.
And with this occasion I also would like to invite
(08:00):
the audience that is present in Brussels to join us
to the first Haydemic conference that will take place in
Russells in March.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The data is to be.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Confirmed, but it would be a great opportunity to all
those who are interested in this topic and also in
this field to share with the participants the key outcomes
and also if the audience and the participants have questions,
(08:37):
this can be a greater opportunity to engage also with
the experts within the consorts Um.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Thank you very much. This is many information I know
for our audience but also to help them out. I
would say, since you were mentioning the handbooks, Sarah, we
can probably leave the link in the descript of this
episode that brings you directly to the handbook for you
to use. Can you confirm Sarah that it's open to
(09:05):
the public to use.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Yes, we have like a website for the stand up project,
you can I can share with you the link.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
So for the audience you will find all the useful links.
The handbook will be there for you to use, and
same goes for Hatti Damics project, so that you can
stay in touch. Also for the event in March in Brussels,
and we hope to see you there. So going on
to our next question, Hannah, from your work with the
(09:39):
Media Diversity Institute, how do you see hate speech evolving
in today's digital landscape. Are there any particular trends or
challenges that you've noticed, Thanks.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
For the question. So it's very clear to us that
hate does not occur in a vacuum, and we have
noticed too significant i would say, patterns and trends and
monitoring of hate in this phase that correspond to two
main themes today. So the first would be the intersection
of anti migration narratives tied in with anti Muslim narratives.
We've noticed that political figures and the media have a
(10:13):
very large role to play in spreading anti migrant narratives,
which are often tied in with harmful antimism tropes and stereotypes.
We have seen common conspiracy narratives such as that referred
to as the Great Replacement theory, which rests upon the
assumption of an envisioned quote unquote threat of white Christian
Europeans being taken over by Muslims, and this is something
(10:36):
that we also see spread a lot online and on
social media. And the second is the ongoing Israel Gaza conflict,
where we've seen the importation of the conflict to Europe,
with a lot of polarization between groups of individuals and
a significant ride and hate speech. So within our project,
as I mentioned, we use manual and AI for monitoring
hate speech and so with the combination of both, we've
(10:58):
seen a large rise in anti semitism and antimism hate
as a result of the conflict. And it's also evident
that when there are certain incidents occurring in the conflict,
there's almost a direct correlation to a rise and hate
speech in that period. So as a result of this,
we recently also published a report looking at the media
coverage of the conflict in our countries of operation where
(11:19):
we can see a large amount of bias and discriminatory
language being used. And equally, our German partners made a
report that we published that offers recommendations to the media
on how to report in the conflict without spreading religious hate.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Thank you very much. Indeed I can see the correlation,
as you said, between the conflicts and the rise and
hate speech, and also referring to the report you were mentioning,
I actually had a chance to have a look at
one and indeed it's super interesting. Again, here for our audience,
I will give you all the redirection links so that
(11:58):
you can definitely dive keeper into the topics So going
on with the next question to you, Sata, how can
gender and inclusion policies act as effective tools to combat
het speech? Do you have examples of best practices or
success stories?
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Well, thank you and alcort the questions. So, I think
that gender and inclusion policies are essential in combating hate
speech because they help to address the underlying social inequities
that full such speech. As a matter of fact, like
the categories that are more affected by hate speech, as
(12:42):
Hannah was mentioning before, are those that are more marginalized.
So we have people with micron backgrounds, those who profess
different religions and also women in a field within this category.
And by fostering environments of equality, respect and inclusivities and
(13:04):
also through strongly strong legal frameworks, these kind of policies
can mitigate the spread of harmful stereotypes and also hate speech.
In relation to success stories, I would like to speak
about the Anti discrimination and gender Equality policy that we
(13:27):
at ALDA have produced, which is very important because it
provides like a robust framework to uphold inclusion and equality
across ALDA but also with our partners, members suppliers so
that they are aware of our values and principles and
(13:52):
also of our narratives. And I would also speak about
strategy that we at the Gender Inclusion and Human Rights
have advocate for that promotes gender sensitive communication and actively
integrates inclusion principles in all initiatives. For example, we try
(14:17):
to develop training for our members but also within our
stuff so that they are aware of our principles and
values related to gender and inclusion policies. Also because sometimes
we have these biases that you know, we just like
(14:43):
grew up with some kind of narratives that we think
are we take for granted, but they are not. And
so having someone in teaching about the gener and inclusion
policies is very important within the society that we live in.
(15:07):
And I also would like to speak about a project
that we've been managing, not me personally, but my colleague
Camilla Vedovato, which is Politicare and it promotes the empowerment
of young women in the decision making process, which is
(15:29):
very important also if you think about like politicians that
we have nowadays and how it is important to have
women sit at the decision making tables and take decisions
that affect their lives. So yeah, that's it, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thank you very much. Indeed, I know and I can
see that within the gender inclusion and human rights have
in alder of which I am also part from the
communication team, many projects deal with of course the theme
of hate speech, but of course also like the inclusion,
(16:17):
as you said, like politic here is a very good
project to think about nowadays, where like we would sometimes
think it's taken for granted that women are included in
politics as men are, but unfortunately it's not the case,
not for all countries especially, So I think it's a
(16:39):
very interesting work that you're doing with that. Thank you.
My next question is for both of you. So both
you have worked across various platforms and communities, and what
are some practical strategies or tools that you recommend for
(16:59):
foster inclusive dialogue and country and hate speech.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Related to this question, I would like speak about some
pillars that I think are fundamental when we are talking
about strategies or tools to foster inclusive dialogue and counterhete speech.
For example, empowering local communities because it is very important
(17:26):
to encourage local initiatives by equipping grassroots organizations with the
resources and also training to lead conversations about inclusivity, for example,
fostering like participatory workshop that can create spaces for open dialogue.
(17:49):
Then I would also say the importance of education because
education plays an important role in countering hate speech, because
young people can have the possibility to discern misinformation and
hate speech online and within this framework they hate Demi's
(18:09):
project deals with this kind of topic and aims to
address young people and to make them learn about how
to tackle online hate speech for example. Then the other
thing that I would say is important is strengthening the
(18:31):
partnership between civil society organization, local governments and also the
private sector, because this can help reach all the society
and also help in the creation of campaigns that can
(18:55):
help in I'm not saying remove hate speech, but at least.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Trying to.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Tackle it in a way that we can make an impact.
And last, but not least, I would say also to
promote cultural and artistic art activities is very important because
events like intercultural festivals, art exhibitions, but also theater performances
(19:29):
can really bridge cultural differences and counter prejudices through creativity.
And I would like to speak about the Shape project
and how through the creation of a Committee of New Citizens,
which was formed by people with migrant background. How it
(19:55):
helped creating a common dialogu and also a common route
between people with migrant background that lived in a small
municipality of Italy and the population of that city, and
it really fostered dialogue and promoted inclusion.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Thank you, Hannah, if you want to give us your answer, yes,
just to say that.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
I think Sarah touched upon many of the same strategies
that we also work on, but I think one I
want to reemphasize that also Sarah mentioned, is the collaboration
across communities. I think it's extremely important to foster mutual
understanding and create solidarity and to work together because at
the end of the day, obviously there is one common enemy,
(20:45):
which is that of fighting hate and trolls. And as
I mentioned, especially in this current period, we see a
lot of polarization and division. It's more important than ever
to come together and to listen to one another and
faster understanding. And another one would be, as Sarah mentioned, education,
and to add to that also the importance of media
(21:06):
literacy because in our day and age, we see that
obviously information is very easy accessible and there's a very
thin divide between what is false and what is true,
and also the ability to differentiate and recognize when you're
confronted with the misinformation. So I think that's also very
important tool and strategy that we try and promote through
(21:27):
the project. And another would also be workshops. We've also
been working a lot through podcast recordings, articles, we can
allow people to also express their experiences, which we've also
seen as being impactful because it not only offers an
insight into their life and what they've been through, but
also humanizes a perspective and helps to build empathy. And
(21:49):
I think the last I would leave it on is
the power of social media. We use social media a
lot through our campaigning and to reach our audiences, and
we've noticed that when we respond very timely to real
world phenomena instances of hate, it also shows adorship and
helps abule trust amongst our audiences. Thank you, Thank you
(22:11):
to both of you.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
A lot to reflect on that. We can definitely say
that the digital space really helps in bridging the gap
and in creating and fostering collaborations across communities. As you said,
of course, this doesn't come without some challenges of misinformation,
(22:37):
fake news, of media literacy. As you were mentioned in Hannah,
So educating the communities is the first step, and we
hope that also with today's episode, we are already doing
a little.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
A question for you, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You already mentioned some of this, but maybe you can
add more. So that Place is a strong emphasis on
citizen engagement. What I wanted to ask you is how
can communities and local organizations collaborate to address heads speech
at the grassroot level?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
So thank you an Alfred the question.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
I would say that, yes, out of Place is a
strong emphasis on citizen engagement and it is at the
heart of Ada's work, and.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
We have a dedicated hub within.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Related to citizens engagement, and I would say that communities
and local organizations can collaborate by organizing, for example, workshops,
dialogue sessions, and awareness campaigns tailored to the local needs. Obviously,
each context has different needs and we need to address those.
(23:58):
Related to grassroots initiatives, I would say that they are
fundamental because they are instrumental in addressing hate speech as
they combine local knowledge with the structured methodologies to drive change.
And for example, organizing community forms that encourage dialogue between
(24:23):
diverse groups has shown to build trust and reduce hate
and involving Also, youth can play an important role, and
because you know, they are the future generations, they are
the ones that they are going to lead what day,
so they need to be aware of the kind of
(24:45):
problems that our society has. Besides, I would also suggest
to involve local influencers and educators in these efforts because
it helps our find messages of tolerance and inclusion.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Thank you very much, Hannah. You were mentioning just a
few minutes ago media literacy and education that often come
up as key solutions in these cases, so specifically I
wanted to ask you what role does education play in
preventing hate speech and how we can effectively engage especially
(25:28):
young people.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Thank you, yes to me. I think education is very key.
It starts a young age and obviously impacts how we
view and see the world as well as each other.
I do believe that media literacy is also vital and
breaking down out as a divide and stereotypes and myths
which we see circulating online and offline. Obviously, now with
the rise of social media, we have access twenty four
(25:50):
to seven to the Internet and large sources of information,
which I believe is both a gift and a curse
because it also means that you're exposed to everything all
the time, with very realistic information, some that can be
misleading or false. And I think that being able to
spot quickly what is false and what is true versus
what is a myth or a bias or stereotype can
help prevent such content and narratives and being spread and
(26:12):
upheld in society. We have seen through our work that
also a lot of young people who may have been
subjected to hate or discrimination might not even be aware
or realize how harmful it is. And I think that's
where we also have a responsibility. Through integrating me diligioucy
and critical thinking into school curriculum, I do believe that
we can equip young people with the skills to identify,
(26:33):
challenge and dismantle hand for narratives. And I also think
it's very important that we don't only speak for them
or work for them, but also work with them to
also hear what their issues are and what challenges they
are facing, so that we can also combine forces.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I want to wrap up with the question to both
of you, is there any advice or takeaway you would
like to share with our listeners on combating hate speech
or promoting inclusion before we conclude.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
It is a very important question, the one that you
are asking on not because I would say it is
important to educate yourself at the beginning, and others because
it is important to understand the roots of hate speech,
it's impact, and the systems perpetuating it, and this one
(27:32):
is the first step that can.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Really lead to a real change.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
And also sharing from the expert side, sharing what we've
learned and our experience in the field, can really help
in tackling this kind of discriminatory narratives, for example. And
another thing that I would like to add is to
(28:03):
support victims and marginalized communities and give them voice and
sorry not give them voice, empower them, meaning that we
need to offer solidarity and amplify the voices of those
directly affected by hate speech, because it is important to
(28:24):
give them the power to speak for themselves without speaking
for them. And I would say this is one of
the most important things because it should be done this way,
not the other way around. It should be a work
(28:44):
that combines all the energies that we have and combines
also all our expertise in this field that I would
say to advocate for change as a matter of fact,
through the projects that we manage, for example, standard stand
(29:07):
up hatdemics gather tools out, they really try to change
things little by little, step by step, trying to you know,
foster communication, try to raise awareness, and they are important
from this perspective, and I would say that small and
(29:32):
consistent efforts by individuals and communities can lead to proof,
can lead to.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Real changes. So I would say, let's strive to create.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
A word that can really be free from hateful collins
and hateful each crimes and these kind of actions that
really create a word of fear and that are that
(30:14):
do not represent the core values that we as European
stand for.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Just to add on to maybe what Sarah said, I think, yeah,
it's very important to support young voices and also empower
positive narratives to challenge the harmful ones, and also to educate,
empower and as we discuss collaborative cross communities. I think
another I would add is also to whole platforms accountable,
so to advocate for stronger policies from social media platforms
(30:44):
and also encourage corsparency and how content is monitored and moderated.
Because we can see a gain between the policies and
how they stand in their effective implementation. So that would
be the last one would add thank.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
You thanks to both of you. I get here the
key points are to empower, to educate, and to advocate
for change. So also to our listeners, I call to action,
to reflect, to educate yourself and be aware of the surroundings,
(31:17):
strive always for change. So thank you Sarah and Hannah
for such an insightful discussion on combating het speech and
promoting inclusive dialogue. It was really interesting. We've covered a
lot of ground today, from understanding root causes of hate
(31:38):
speech also to exploring effective strategies to foster a more
inclusive and democratic society. And to our listeners, we hope
this episode has inspired you to take action in your
communities and online spaces. Let's continue to work together to
create a word where everyone feels seen, heard and valued.
(32:02):
And of course don't forget you can find the Shades
of Democracy podcast on Spreader, Spotify, Google Podcasts, I podcast
and all does website of course, So until next time,
stay engaged, stay informed, and let's keep building a future
of equality and inclusion. Thanks to both of you, bye bye,
Hello, and welcome to a new episode of alda's podcast
Shades of Democracy. I'm Anal Sneedi from the communications team
of ALDA and I will be your host today. In
this episode, we are diving into the critical topic of
hate speech and its intersection with gender and inclusion policies.
(00:41):
Height speech, whether rooted in religion, gender, or other societal divisions,
poses significant challenges to fostering inclusive, democratic societies. ALDA. We
tackle these issues through various initiatives, including the Get the
Trolls Out Project. GTTO specifically addresses hate speech in the
(01:04):
media with a focus on combating religious based hate and
misinformation while promoting ethical journalism and tolerance. Similarly, alda's Anti
Discrimination policy provides a clear framework to uphold inclusion, equality
and respect across all our activities and partnerships, ensuring our
(01:28):
work fosters is society free from discrimination. To help us
untack this topic today, we are joined by two remarkable guests,
Sarah Fendi, project manager at ALDA who works on the
Hatademics Project and within the Gender Inclusion and Human Rights Hub,
and Hana kohakoviccha project manager at the Media Diversity Institute
(01:54):
and leader of the Get the Trolls Out Project. Together,
they will share their insights, strategies and experiences in takeolin
height speech and promoting inclusive dialogue. So welcome Satah and Hannah.
It's a real pleasure to have you both with us.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Thank you Anna for inviting me.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yes, thank you so much for them.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So my first question is for you, Hannah. Could you
give us an overview of the Get the Trolls Out
project and how it addresses religious based hate speech while
promoting inclusion.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Yes, of course, thank you, so you gave a bit
of an overview. But just to mention, Get the Trolls
Out as a project that aims to combat religious discrimination
within the European media space, so this is both traditional
online social media. The project has been running since twenty fifteen,
so it's currently in its tenth year and fifth phase,
and in this phase, Media Diversity Institute based in the
(02:51):
UK is the lead partner alongside six like minded organizations
in Europe. So specifically this is Modova, Germany, Belgium, Hungary,
Poland and of course yourselves out in France. So our
main activities in the project involve monitoring the media space
both using AI and human capacity and looking in it
(03:13):
ways to react and respond to incidents of hate and
religious discrimination. So predominantly this involves writing netriskt to editors,
reporting incidents to social media platforms, writing articles and blogs
on topics and issues in our countries of operation, as
well as organizing various campaigns end up promoting inclusivity and understanding.
(03:33):
So we strive to collaborate with the communities we represent
by offering them a voice and a platform rather than
speaking on their behalf. And our focus is also on
amplifying positive stories and counter narratives of challenging hate. So
predominantly we work with Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities to
promote mutual respect and religious pluralism.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Thank you very much. This gives definitely a clearer overview
on the work you're doing, and indeed, unfortunately more and
more these kind of projects are needed het speech seems
to increase rather than decrease nowadays. Hopefully having more like
(04:18):
more entities like yours, like the organization you work for,
or more projects on this will create some knowledge and
combat bias based also hate speech. So thank you for
your work. The next question is for Sarah so And
(04:38):
that recently concluded the stand UP project and it's currently
working on the Academics projects. They are both on the
realm of hate speech. So can you share key lessons
or outcomes from these projects that relate to combating hate speech.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
So yes, thank you very much much for the question, Manal,
because these two projects I think are very outstanding. Stand
Up concluded the last January and it focused on creating
a comprehensive, multifaced framework to combat hate speech and hate crimes.
And its peculiar approach is about the integration of victim
(05:23):
support into every stage of intervention. So this ensures that
all action, be it by law enforcements, civil society organization
or the judiciary sector, are collaborative and victim centric. And
one of the key outcomes of this project has been
the Victim Support Handbook.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
It is a manual that aims.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
To offer support to public authorities in particular law enforcement
agency and judicial bodies to offer guidelines and best practices
to strengthen victim support and protection in.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
All the processes.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Besides, we can say that it also promotes the cooperation
with civil society organizations to ensure the prioritarization of victim
protection and also given the presence of public authorities ensure
(06:25):
and encourage sensitive investigation and persecution. While the Academics Project
which stands for hampering hate speech and this information through
AI based technologies to prevent and combat polarization and the
spread of racist, cenophobic and intolerance speech and conspiracy theories.
(06:49):
It is a project that uses AI based technologies to
empower engeos, fact checkers, public authorities and also young activists
to identify and combat intolerant hate speech as well as
conspiracy theories. Of course, and one of the key outcomes
(07:14):
of the project will be the creation of a fact
checking platform where fact checking organizations and also civil society
organization have developed to tackle hate speech within the framework
of the project. The project started last March and we
(07:38):
will conclude on February twenty twenty six and we've been
doing an amazing work work together with the concertium of
the Hidemics Project led by from that Jennie Berlo cassileo FBK.
And with this occasion I also would like to invite
(08:00):
the audience that is present in Brussels to join us
to the first Haydemic conference that will take place in
Russells in March.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
The data is to be.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Confirmed, but it would be a great opportunity to all
those who are interested in this topic and also in
this field to share with the participants the key outcomes
and also if the audience and the participants have questions,
(08:37):
this can be a greater opportunity to engage also with
the experts within the consorts Um.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Thank you very much. This is many information I know
for our audience but also to help them out. I
would say, since you were mentioning the handbooks, Sarah, we
can probably leave the link in the descript of this
episode that brings you directly to the handbook for you
to use. Can you confirm Sarah that it's open to
(09:05):
the public to use.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Yes, we have like a website for the stand up project,
you can I can share with you the link.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
So for the audience you will find all the useful links.
The handbook will be there for you to use, and
same goes for Hatti Damics project, so that you can
stay in touch. Also for the event in March in Brussels,
and we hope to see you there. So going on
to our next question, Hannah, from your work with the
(09:39):
Media Diversity Institute, how do you see hate speech evolving
in today's digital landscape. Are there any particular trends or
challenges that you've noticed, Thanks.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
For the question. So it's very clear to us that
hate does not occur in a vacuum, and we have
noticed too significant i would say, patterns and trends and
monitoring of hate in this phase that correspond to two
main themes today. So the first would be the intersection
of anti migration narratives tied in with anti Muslim narratives.
We've noticed that political figures and the media have a
(10:13):
very large role to play in spreading anti migrant narratives,
which are often tied in with harmful antimism tropes and stereotypes.
We have seen common conspiracy narratives such as that referred
to as the Great Replacement theory, which rests upon the
assumption of an envisioned quote unquote threat of white Christian
Europeans being taken over by Muslims, and this is something
(10:36):
that we also see spread a lot online and on
social media. And the second is the ongoing Israel Gaza conflict,
where we've seen the importation of the conflict to Europe,
with a lot of polarization between groups of individuals and
a significant ride and hate speech. So within our project,
as I mentioned, we use manual and AI for monitoring
hate speech and so with the combination of both, we've
(10:58):
seen a large rise in anti semitism and antimism hate
as a result of the conflict. And it's also evident
that when there are certain incidents occurring in the conflict,
there's almost a direct correlation to a rise and hate
speech in that period. So as a result of this,
we recently also published a report looking at the media
coverage of the conflict in our countries of operation where
(11:19):
we can see a large amount of bias and discriminatory
language being used. And equally, our German partners made a
report that we published that offers recommendations to the media
on how to report in the conflict without spreading religious hate.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Thank you very much. Indeed I can see the correlation,
as you said, between the conflicts and the rise and
hate speech, and also referring to the report you were mentioning,
I actually had a chance to have a look at
one and indeed it's super interesting. Again, here for our audience,
I will give you all the redirection links so that
(11:58):
you can definitely dive keeper into the topics So going
on with the next question to you, Sata, how can
gender and inclusion policies act as effective tools to combat
het speech? Do you have examples of best practices or
success stories?
Speaker 4 (12:18):
Well, thank you and alcort the questions. So, I think
that gender and inclusion policies are essential in combating hate
speech because they help to address the underlying social inequities
that full such speech. As a matter of fact, like
the categories that are more affected by hate speech, as
(12:42):
Hannah was mentioning before, are those that are more marginalized.
So we have people with micron backgrounds, those who profess
different religions and also women in a field within this category.
And by fostering environments of equality, respect and inclusivities and
(13:04):
also through strongly strong legal frameworks, these kind of policies
can mitigate the spread of harmful stereotypes and also hate speech.
In relation to success stories, I would like to speak
about the Anti discrimination and gender Equality policy that we
(13:27):
at ALDA have produced, which is very important because it
provides like a robust framework to uphold inclusion and equality
across ALDA but also with our partners, members suppliers so
that they are aware of our values and principles and
(13:52):
also of our narratives. And I would also speak about
strategy that we at the Gender Inclusion and Human Rights
have advocate for that promotes gender sensitive communication and actively
integrates inclusion principles in all initiatives. For example, we try
(14:17):
to develop training for our members but also within our
stuff so that they are aware of our principles and
values related to gender and inclusion policies. Also because sometimes
we have these biases that you know, we just like
(14:43):
grew up with some kind of narratives that we think
are we take for granted, but they are not. And
so having someone in teaching about the gener and inclusion
policies is very important within the society that we live in.
(15:07):
And I also would like to speak about a project
that we've been managing, not me personally, but my colleague
Camilla Vedovato, which is Politicare and it promotes the empowerment
of young women in the decision making process, which is
(15:29):
very important also if you think about like politicians that
we have nowadays and how it is important to have
women sit at the decision making tables and take decisions
that affect their lives. So yeah, that's it, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thank you very much. Indeed, I know and I can
see that within the gender inclusion and human rights have
in alder of which I am also part from the
communication team, many projects deal with of course the theme
of hate speech, but of course also like the inclusion,
(16:17):
as you said, like politic here is a very good
project to think about nowadays, where like we would sometimes
think it's taken for granted that women are included in
politics as men are, but unfortunately it's not the case,
not for all countries especially, So I think it's a
(16:39):
very interesting work that you're doing with that. Thank you.
My next question is for both of you. So both
you have worked across various platforms and communities, and what
are some practical strategies or tools that you recommend for
(16:59):
foster inclusive dialogue and country and hate speech.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
Related to this question, I would like speak about some
pillars that I think are fundamental when we are talking
about strategies or tools to foster inclusive dialogue and counterhete speech.
For example, empowering local communities because it is very important
(17:26):
to encourage local initiatives by equipping grassroots organizations with the
resources and also training to lead conversations about inclusivity, for example,
fostering like participatory workshop that can create spaces for open dialogue.
(17:49):
Then I would also say the importance of education because
education plays an important role in countering hate speech, because
young people can have the possibility to discern misinformation and
hate speech online and within this framework they hate Demi's
(18:09):
project deals with this kind of topic and aims to
address young people and to make them learn about how
to tackle online hate speech for example. Then the other
thing that I would say is important is strengthening the
(18:31):
partnership between civil society organization, local governments and also the
private sector, because this can help reach all the society
and also help in the creation of campaigns that can
(18:55):
help in I'm not saying remove hate speech, but at least.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Trying to.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Tackle it in a way that we can make an impact.
And last, but not least, I would say also to
promote cultural and artistic art activities is very important because
events like intercultural festivals, art exhibitions, but also theater performances
(19:29):
can really bridge cultural differences and counter prejudices through creativity.
And I would like to speak about the Shape project
and how through the creation of a Committee of New Citizens,
which was formed by people with migrant background. How it
(19:55):
helped creating a common dialogu and also a common route
between people with migrant background that lived in a small
municipality of Italy and the population of that city, and
it really fostered dialogue and promoted inclusion.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Thank you, Hannah, if you want to give us your answer, yes,
just to say that.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
I think Sarah touched upon many of the same strategies
that we also work on, but I think one I
want to reemphasize that also Sarah mentioned, is the collaboration
across communities. I think it's extremely important to foster mutual
understanding and create solidarity and to work together because at
the end of the day, obviously there is one common enemy,
(20:45):
which is that of fighting hate and trolls. And as
I mentioned, especially in this current period, we see a
lot of polarization and division. It's more important than ever
to come together and to listen to one another and
faster understanding. And another one would be, as Sarah mentioned, education,
and to add to that also the importance of media
(21:06):
literacy because in our day and age, we see that
obviously information is very easy accessible and there's a very
thin divide between what is false and what is true,
and also the ability to differentiate and recognize when you're
confronted with the misinformation. So I think that's also very
important tool and strategy that we try and promote through
(21:27):
the project. And another would also be workshops. We've also
been working a lot through podcast recordings, articles, we can
allow people to also express their experiences, which we've also
seen as being impactful because it not only offers an
insight into their life and what they've been through, but
also humanizes a perspective and helps to build empathy. And
(21:49):
I think the last I would leave it on is
the power of social media. We use social media a
lot through our campaigning and to reach our audiences, and
we've noticed that when we respond very timely to real
world phenomena instances of hate, it also shows adorship and
helps abule trust amongst our audiences. Thank you, Thank you
(22:11):
to both of you.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
A lot to reflect on that. We can definitely say
that the digital space really helps in bridging the gap
and in creating and fostering collaborations across communities. As you said,
of course, this doesn't come without some challenges of misinformation,
(22:37):
fake news, of media literacy. As you were mentioned in Hannah,
So educating the communities is the first step, and we
hope that also with today's episode, we are already doing
a little.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
A question for you, Sarah.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You already mentioned some of this, but maybe you can
add more. So that Place is a strong emphasis on
citizen engagement. What I wanted to ask you is how
can communities and local organizations collaborate to address heads speech
at the grassroot level?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
So thank you an Alfred the question.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
I would say that, yes, out of Place is a
strong emphasis on citizen engagement and it is at the
heart of Ada's work, and.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
We have a dedicated hub within.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
Related to citizens engagement, and I would say that communities
and local organizations can collaborate by organizing, for example, workshops,
dialogue sessions, and awareness campaigns tailored to the local needs. Obviously,
each context has different needs and we need to address those.
(23:58):
Related to grassroots initiatives, I would say that they are
fundamental because they are instrumental in addressing hate speech as
they combine local knowledge with the structured methodologies to drive change.
And for example, organizing community forms that encourage dialogue between
(24:23):
diverse groups has shown to build trust and reduce hate
and involving Also, youth can play an important role, and
because you know, they are the future generations, they are
the ones that they are going to lead what day,
so they need to be aware of the kind of
(24:45):
problems that our society has. Besides, I would also suggest
to involve local influencers and educators in these efforts because
it helps our find messages of tolerance and inclusion.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Thank you very much, Hannah. You were mentioning just a
few minutes ago media literacy and education that often come
up as key solutions in these cases, so specifically I
wanted to ask you what role does education play in
preventing hate speech and how we can effectively engage especially
(25:28):
young people.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
Thank you, yes to me. I think education is very key.
It starts a young age and obviously impacts how we
view and see the world as well as each other.
I do believe that media literacy is also vital and
breaking down out as a divide and stereotypes and myths
which we see circulating online and offline. Obviously, now with
the rise of social media, we have access twenty four
(25:50):
to seven to the Internet and large sources of information,
which I believe is both a gift and a curse
because it also means that you're exposed to everything all
the time, with very realistic information, some that can be
misleading or false. And I think that being able to
spot quickly what is false and what is true versus
what is a myth or a bias or stereotype can
help prevent such content and narratives and being spread and
(26:12):
upheld in society. We have seen through our work that
also a lot of young people who may have been
subjected to hate or discrimination might not even be aware
or realize how harmful it is. And I think that's
where we also have a responsibility. Through integrating me diligioucy
and critical thinking into school curriculum, I do believe that
we can equip young people with the skills to identify,
(26:33):
challenge and dismantle hand for narratives. And I also think
it's very important that we don't only speak for them
or work for them, but also work with them to
also hear what their issues are and what challenges they
are facing, so that we can also combine forces.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
I want to wrap up with the question to both
of you, is there any advice or takeaway you would
like to share with our listeners on combating hate speech
or promoting inclusion before we conclude.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
It is a very important question, the one that you
are asking on not because I would say it is
important to educate yourself at the beginning, and others because
it is important to understand the roots of hate speech,
it's impact, and the systems perpetuating it, and this one
(27:32):
is the first step that can.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Really lead to a real change.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
And also sharing from the expert side, sharing what we've
learned and our experience in the field, can really help
in tackling this kind of discriminatory narratives, for example. And
another thing that I would like to add is to
(28:03):
support victims and marginalized communities and give them voice and
sorry not give them voice, empower them, meaning that we
need to offer solidarity and amplify the voices of those
directly affected by hate speech, because it is important to
(28:24):
give them the power to speak for themselves without speaking
for them. And I would say this is one of
the most important things because it should be done this way,
not the other way around. It should be a work
(28:44):
that combines all the energies that we have and combines
also all our expertise in this field that I would
say to advocate for change as a matter of fact,
through the projects that we manage, for example, standard stand
(29:07):
up hatdemics gather tools out, they really try to change
things little by little, step by step, trying to you know,
foster communication, try to raise awareness, and they are important
from this perspective, and I would say that small and
(29:32):
consistent efforts by individuals and communities can lead to proof,
can lead to.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Real changes. So I would say, let's strive to create.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
A word that can really be free from hateful collins
and hateful each crimes and these kind of actions that
really create a word of fear and that are that
(30:14):
do not represent the core values that we as European
stand for.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Just to add on to maybe what Sarah said, I think, yeah,
it's very important to support young voices and also empower
positive narratives to challenge the harmful ones, and also to educate,
empower and as we discuss collaborative cross communities. I think
another I would add is also to whole platforms accountable,
so to advocate for stronger policies from social media platforms
(30:44):
and also encourage corsparency and how content is monitored and moderated.
Because we can see a gain between the policies and
how they stand in their effective implementation. So that would
be the last one would add thank.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
You thanks to both of you. I get here the
key points are to empower, to educate, and to advocate
for change. So also to our listeners, I call to action,
to reflect, to educate yourself and be aware of the surroundings,
(31:17):
strive always for change. So thank you Sarah and Hannah
for such an insightful discussion on combating het speech and
promoting inclusive dialogue. It was really interesting. We've covered a
lot of ground today, from understanding root causes of hate
(31:38):
speech also to exploring effective strategies to foster a more
inclusive and democratic society. And to our listeners, we hope
this episode has inspired you to take action in your
communities and online spaces. Let's continue to work together to
create a word where everyone feels seen, heard and valued.
(32:02):
And of course don't forget you can find the Shades
of Democracy podcast on Spreader, Spotify, Google Podcasts, I podcast
and all does website of course, So until next time,
stay engaged, stay informed, and let's keep building a future
of equality and inclusion. Thanks to both of you, bye bye,
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