Online hatred fuels offline violence, time for action

On March 14, the world was—once again—confronted by an atrocity inspired by hate, in which the use of online platforms played a heinous role. Like people of goodwill worldwide, the Canadian Jewish community was heartbroken and horrified by the murder of 50 worshippers in two Christchurch mosques, and we condemned it for what it was: terrorism fueled by hatred of Muslims. But the truth is, condemnation and condolences are simply not enough. As the initial shock recedes, it is time for us to have an important conversation and answer some critical questions. What should we do about online hate? What is our strategy to remove this dangerous filth from the internet before more people die? Terrorist organizations and hate groups make extensive use of social media to spread their warped ideas, recruit followers, and incite violence. This is a problem that spans the ideological spectrum. For example, those Canadians who have been radicalized to join ISIS have often done so after extensively consuming jihadist content online. In the case of recent acts of white supremacist terrorism, such as the brutal mass murder of worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue and two mosques in Christchurch, the killers made extensive use of social media as a platform to promote their sick agenda. The Pittsburgh shooter, according to reports, posted more than 700 antisemitic messages online in the nine months prior to the attack. The Christchurch shooter’s use of social media to broadcast his attack was a clear attempt to provoke similar atrocities. Indeed, as has been noted in several reports since the event, it was a marketing strategy for mass murder enabled by the internet. We cannot afford to be complacent. For many months prior to Pittsburgh and Christchurch, CIJA has been calling on the Government of Canada to launch a national strategy to counter online hate, beginning with a parliamentary study to examine the scope of this phenomenon. Over the last few months, we have received positive signals from both the government and opposition that there is strong interest in tackling this issue, which should be a matter of all-party consensus. We have also seen interest within and beyond the Jewish community. Thousands of Canadians have joined us in calling on Parliament to move this forward, and a diversity of faith and civil society organizations have joined the effort, including Amnesty International, and major Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and LGBTQ2+ organizations. This is a complex issue requiring a multifaceted approach. Social media platforms and internet service providers must do more to enforce their own user policies—which usually ban such content—with greater consistency to prevent their platforms from being abused. To be clear, our focus is not insensitive, inappropriate, or offensive content. The objective of a national strategy to combat online hate should be to counter those who glorify or inspire violence and willfully (often systematically) demonize entire communities. We can preserve freedom of expression while protecting Canadians from such threats. There is a significant debate as to whether government regulation or industry self-regulation is the best approach for achieving results. This should be one of the central questions examined by a parliamentary committee, drawing on insights from technology experts, social media companies, and community stakeholders. Canada can benefit from the experience of other democracies that are much further down the road in tracking and developing policy responses to online hate, especially in Europe. All of this should be considered in developing a made-in-Canada approach, which is why we believe the first step is an intensive parliamentary study. It is important to note that we are calling for constructive discussion among all relevant stakeholders. The solutions (be they regulatory, legislative, industry-based, etc.) will flow from open and inclusive discussion with government, service providers, telecommunications companies, consumers, and groups such as CIJA, who represent segments of Canadian society who are frequently targeted. Since Christchurch, there has been increased discussion about (now abrogated) Sec. 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. CIJA has taken the view—since Sec. 13 was rescinded— that a gap has been opened in the legal tools to address hate propaganda. There are multiple ways to close this gap. One way is to ensure a more robust, consistent application of existing Criminal Code hate speech provisions. This would benefit from enhanced training for police and Crown prosecutors. Another way to address this issue is to develop a new provision in the Canadian Human Rights Act to counter online hate, but this requires addressing the clear deficiencies of the former Sec. 13—which we believe was effective but flawed. A restored Section 13 would have to include significant safeguards to protect legitimate freedom of expression and prevent vexatious use of the Section. While we know there are strong feelings on both sides of the House toward Sec. 13, this discussion need not, indeed should not, be a partisan issue. We believe a reasonable consensus exists—through one of the two options described above—that strikes the right balance between upholding freedom of expression and protecting Canadians from hate. Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and with it the tactics of terrorists and hate groups. Public policy must adapt accordingly, especially given the clear link between online hate and offline violence. Shimon Koffler Fogel is the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs The Hill Times

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Online hatred fuels offline violence, time for action

Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and with it the tactics of terrorists and hate groups. Public policy must adapt accordingly, especially given the clear link between online hate and offline violence.

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