Tackling Racism in the Age of Social Media

 What are the issues?  How do we address it?  What are the opportunities?

On-line Hate Speech  Social Media is increasingly used as an open ended platform where hateful, hostile and disturbing messages against certain religious and ethnic groups go unchallenged;  The laid back attitude of social media providers make it harder to regulate;  Most of the time the messages are not illegal under UK law but is symptomatic of growing identity politics, and negativity towards economic and social change; xenophobia and racism is a by product.

Interviews with Young People: There is an increased normalisation of hostile messages spread online: “I never get involved, but I get amused…”

Young People’s Response to Hostile Offensive Messages:  Ignore “I ignore them. They are not targeting me, so it does not affect me.”  Delete / block “Most of the time when someone is saying something bad I just block the person”  Report “I have reported photos cause all my friends are African and Indian… I found it offensive because the photos were targeting such people and making them feel that they do not belong here when they have the right to be here”

How to Report Hate Speech: Include as much information as possible: 1. When did it happen? Take note of the date and hour as some online content can disappear rapidly. 2. If the message was sent directly to the victim i.e. text, instant messaging etc. save the or the log of the chat / text. 3. If the content was found on a website: copy and paste the complete internet address into a wordprocessor document or text document..

To Whom Do You Report?  Reporting to the police – this should be done when large quantities of materials are archived (website); when a type of action is repeated by individuals (blog) or organised groups;  Asking the author that the content be removed, warning about possible penal consequences. Anonymity characterising the internet limits the efficiency of this method;  Notify the administrators of the website. Report the content, providing the URL of the content and cite the law.

 Report to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) who hosts the contents. In most cases, administrators will comply with demands for removal of the content.  See It Report It:  Notifying a competent office – ‘Tell MAMA’ ‘Hope Not Hate’

What are the opportunities presented by social media?

Keep in touch – join ROTA Membership is free and the membership form only takes a few minutes to complete. Members automatically receive our services including invitations to events, policy briefings, our monthly policy e-bulletin and more. The membership form is available on our website –