The Thuringian advice center “Alli” for people affected by online hate crime, which has existed for about a year, has a lot to offer. “There is a great demand for our offer, the topic is currently very present,” says advisor Joscha Lell. On average, a victim contacts the advice team once a week. In addition, the expertise of the advisors in lectures, workshops or prevention programs is in great demand. Hate speech and the associated discrimination against certain groups of people is a widespread phenomenon on the Internet and especially on social media.
Advertisement
The help offered by Ally includes tips on saving screenshots that can be used in court, as well as assistance with legal issues. Lel says information is provided about when an ad is worthwhile. The duration of consultations ranges from short telephone conversations to longer processes lasting several weeks.
A large number of unreported cases are feared
There is currently no clear legal definition of “hate speech”, which is commonly translated as “hate speech”. “For us, the most important thing is how the affected people assess an attack,” says Lell. The expert believes that there are a large number of people who do not report, who do not contact Eli due to false shame or lack of knowledge. This was also confirmed by a survey earlier this year, according to which hate on the Internet silenced many people.
which is financed from state funds ELLE Advice Centre It was launched in mid-June 2023 as a point of contact for people who have been victims of racist, sexist, anti-Semitic or other forms of hostility online. The term hate speech refers to attacks such as devaluation, insults, threats or other hate messages on the Internet. This type of hate speech is spread, among other things, in the form of text messages, comments, memes, videos and images via social media, messenger services, email or forums.
Feser: Online hate can lead to violence
In June, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Fesser warned about dangerous developments on the Internet: “The hatred that is spread on the Internet is a breeding ground for violence.” The SPD politician made the following comments in connection with nationwide searches and other police measures against people suspected of being responsible for hate and agitation on the Internet: Anyone who supports terror on the Internet must be expelled.
Read this also
In Thuringia, police officers were also deployed in the Gera, Gotha and Saalfeld regions. This included, for example, those suspected of crimes such as the use of unconstitutional license plates, public incitement to commit a crime and incitement to hatred.
(FDS)
