Initiatives against Hate Speech

In the following, we list initiatives as well as reporting and counseling centers that are committed to combating hate on the Internet.

The No Hate Speech Movement grew out of a Council of Europe youth campaign launched in 2012 to combat hate, racism and discrimination in the digital space. In 2016, a German node(www.no-hate-speech.de) was established. The German No Hate Speech movement is coordinated by the New German Media Makers. At www.neuemedienmacher.de/helpdesk, concrete help can be found for dealing with hate online.

The initiatives "Verfolgen und Löschen" (prosecute and delete) and "Verfolgen statt nur Löschen - Rechtsdurchsetzung im Internet" (prosecute instead of just delete - law enforcement on the Internet) send a consistent signal against lawlessness and recklessness and for freedom and democracy on the web. Law enforcement agencies, media regulators and media companies have joined forces to ensure that hate comments are not simply deleted, but also investigated under criminal law and prosecuted in the event of a violation of the law. To this end, specific procedural processes have been developed to facilitate and accelerate the process. The consistent sanctioning of legal violations and their publication is intended to achieve a general preventive effect and effectively counteract the brutalization of online communication.

• To the initiative "Follow up instead of just deleting" of the Media Authority NRW
• To the "Track and Delete" initiative of the Media Authority of Rhineland-Palatinate

Since its establishment in 1998, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation has been working to strengthen democratic civil society that consistently opposes right-wing extremism, racism and anti-Semitism. Nationwide, the foundation focuses on education, awareness-raising as well as advice and support for local initiatives. Numerous brochures and handouts on the subject can be found at www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de. The foundation's projects include www.belltower.news (Network for Digital Civil Society) and the online portal www.debate-dehate.com, which promotes a culture of digital democratic debate.

The HateAid advice platform offers victims a first point of contact. The organization accompanies victims of hate speech free of charge and provides them with initial counseling, among other things. In serious cases, therapists or lawyers are also consulted. HateAid aims to take action against potential perpetrators and also covers court costs to relieve victims of the fear of financial risk to themselves. The non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Foundation House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin is financed by donations.

Citizens in Hesse have access to the online state contact point "Hessen gegen Hetze" (Hesse againstincitement), which they can use to report hate and incitement on the Internet. The hotline is operated by the Hessen CyberCompetenceCenter (Hessen3C) and is part of a reporting system in which the police, the public prosecutor's office and numerous non-governmental organizations work closely together. To report hate comments, send the link to the page in question and a screenshot of the comment. It is up to the user whether or not to leave their contact details. The aim of the service is to record hate comments and extremist content as quickly as possible, to offer those affected immediate and uncomplicated support, and to initiate efficient criminal prosecution by improving the securing of evidentiary data.

The project LOVE-Storm - Together Against Hate on the Net aims to counter the wave of hate, disparagement and insults on the Internet with a movement of digital civil courage. Many Internet users want to stand up for positive coexistence online, but don't know how. LOVE-Storm empowers interested and committed people with online training, learning resources and a growing community at www.love-storm.de to effectively counter hate and cyber bullying.

#NetzCourage is a non-profit association that takes an active stance against hate speech, discrimination and racism on the Internet. It sees itself as an instrument of education and fights for decency and humane interaction between users of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. With the "HateSpeech-Ambulanz", #NetzCourage offers those affected by Internet hate fast help and experienced advice free of charge.

The Civil Heroes project aims to improve civil courage in online social media. The website is an information service of the research project "PräDiSiKo - Präventive Digitale Sicherheitskommunikation" (Preventive Digital Security Communication): It provides tips on proper behavior in the event of violence, hate speech and radicalization and lists advice centers. Videos, the progress of which can be interactively shaped, also provide information on the topics.

The "Justice and Media - Consistently Against Hate" initiative was created in 2019 from a cooperation between the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice. The initiative is aimed at private and public media companies in Bavaria, building a bridge between the media and the judiciary. Following training, editors can report hate postings directly to the Bavarian justice system's Hate Speech Officer via a specially developed online procedure. The project is a clear response against hate and incitement and for freedom of expression and respectful interaction online.

The association #ichbinhier e.V. wants to sensitize people to the topic of hate on the net through a wide variety of measures and encourage them to take action against hate speech. Supporting the Facebook group #ichbinhier is one of these measures. The group is committed as an action group for a better discussion culture and against hate speech in social media. Together, more than 40,000 people are already campaigning for facts, courage and kindness and against rumors, fear and hate on the web.

hass-im-netz.info is an online service of the political extremism section at jugendschutz.net and is funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Current information on the topic of hate on the net can be found at www.hass-im-netz.info. Unacceptable comments and content can be reported via the reporting form.

The Facting Facts! initiative aims to increase the recognition and recording of hate crimes and hate speech online at the national level and beyond through the collaboration of civil society and public authorities. Facting Facts Online also provides a webinar on Hate Speech. This has been translated into German (among others by www.jugendschutz.net): www.facingfacts.eu/courses/hate-speech-was-tun.

Courage on the Net

­­­­­The project Cou­ ra ­ge im Netz - Gemein­sam gegen Hass und Het­ze is dedicated to the protection of freedom­heit und Demo­kra­tie im Netz­schrie­ben.­­In order to guarantee legal­through­set­cation on the net­leis­t, the project of the Saarland State Media Authority makes it possible­to take part men­the partners effi­zi­en­te Ver­fah­rens­ab­läu­fe in the Anzei­gen­er­stel­lung. The premium partners receive­a cost­­ lo­se training­on the­procedure for reporting­a com­men­tary in the online tool of the state police headquarters. Also, for all citizens­ge­r*in­nen a bedie­nungs­freund­li­che Anzei­gen­er­stat­tung via online guard was opened.

A comprehensive overview of actors from German-speaking countries who are committed to a culture of political debate and against hate speech can also be found at www.das-nettz.de.