Strategies and Tools against Hate Speech in Face to Face Encounters and in Social Media

The tone in communication becomes rougher. Fuelled by so-called social media, personal communication is also changing, becoming more aggressive and less tolerant both in face-to-face interaction and in messaging in social media. As digital platforms expand their reach ever further, they tighten their grip on the information we circulate and are exposed to. Fake news is thriving in this new media environment – presenting a threat to our democratic societies and providing a ground for a surge in openly hateful racist and xenophobic comments either in social media or in verbal encounters between citizens.

Such comments are an attack on the rights of different ethnic, religious and/or national groups, in clear violation of the principles of equal human dignity and respect for the racial and cultural differences among human groups. Hate words and hate crime are directly connected. Hate speech can also negatively influence matters as large as transnational migration and regional security and be seen as a precursor for further steps into radicalisation.

The specific objectives of Arguments Against Aggression

• to develop a catalogue of the most common prejudices and possible answers and communication strategies that can increase the effectiveness of the  arguments;
• to compile user-oriented guide and training resources containing argumentation tools and strategies against various kinds of prejudice: refugees and migrants, political extremism, sexual orientation;
• to give immediate access to answer and communication strategies through development of  mobile applications for smart phones.

Erasmus+
Project Number: 2018-1-DE02-KA204-005060
Project Duration: November 2018 until October 2020
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