Action Summit to combat online hate held to find solutions to this complex issue

BY PAUL JUNOR

The issue of online hate has taken on tremendous moral, social, ethical and political significance during the COVID-19 pandemic as the world grapples with challenges related to health inequities, economic disparities and social injustice.

This important summit was held on April 14^th -15^th, 2021 in hopes of bringing awareness, solutions and strategies. It was organized by the Canadian Coalition to Combat Online Hate, through the Anti-Racism Action Program, which is funded by the Department Canadian Heritage. It involves the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and funded by the Government of Canada.

 According to Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy at mediasmarts.ca, “Since its earliest day, the internet has been hailed as a uniquely open marketplace of ideas, and has become an essential means for people to access information and services.” 

On the other hand, there are many negative disadvantages. “It offers a host of offensive materials including hateful content that attempt to inflame public opinion against certain groups and to turn people against one another.”

Mediasmarts.ca notes that it is often difficult to distinguish between online hate and hate speech because different countries have diverse tolerance levels. It states, “The line is even thinner in digital environments when hateful comments posted lawfully in one country can be read in other countries where they may be deemed unlawful.” This creates a slippery slope that is very challenging.

 Mediasmarts.ca identifies how online hate is interconnected in three ways:

• The harm done to its targets, either from personal harassment or from online space being experienced as hostile

• The risk that those who encounter it may be radicalized by it, becoming more sympathetic and possibly even more active
• The effect that it has on the values and culture of the online spaces in which it happens

According to the website actionsummit.ca it will, “Bring leading activists, and policy makers together to discuss this serious problem and develop an action plan to

combat it.”

 There were three tracks covered in the summit:

• Track 1: Online Hate: In Search of Regulations to a Complex Issue
• Track 2: Remedies and Redress for Online Hate: Shifting Power
• Track 3: Raising Public Awareness of Online Hate: What it is and what we can do

There were two keynote speakers on the first day: April 14^th, 2021, Arndrea Waters King and Martin Luther King III who served as President and Chairman of the Drum Major Institute respectively. They spoke together as they reflected on the contributions and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“If we stand for justice and freedom, we must stand for it together.” Mr King stated, “There are issues of hatred that exist in every community and these issues we must join together to address, so that we can elevate the beloved community of freedom, justice and equality  for all humankind.”

Katharine von Schnurbein (European Commission Coordinator on Combating Anti-semitism), gave the opening keynote address and Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage gave the closing keynote address.

This summit was indeed a timely and relevant one. There are no easy solutions that are possible to address the intricacies, nuances and complexities of online hate.

It is vital that there is continual public awareness to highlight its global significance.