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Hate Crime (4)
A barrister-at-law from Northern Ireland, Dr Venkat Lyer, has asserted that the regulation of hate speech through criminal law will not be possible.
This, according to him was due to the fact that each individual holds different opinion on it.
Dr Lyer made the assertion while speaking at a public lecture organised by the University of Media, Art and Culture Ghana Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-GIJ) Tuesday May9,2023 on the topic, “The Legal Regulation of Hate Speech, Fake News. Is it desirable? Is it Possible?”
The public lecture also provided a platform for issues related to hate speech, and fake news to be discussed as calls for it’s regulation across the world intensify.
According to Dr Lyer although calls for the regulation of hate speech was in the right direction, it was important to consider its potential effect on the freedom of speech.
In furtherance, he said “merely causing offences should not be a ground for banning hate speech because there are some that lead to a positive effect.”
To address the issue, Dr Lyer emphasised the need to resort to formal and informal education, while ensuring that ethical principles were strictly adhered to.
He also underscored the need to provide adequate protection for judges who interpret the law about hate speech which varies from one country to another.
Moreover, Dr Lyer urged anchors of television and radio programmes to try and tame panellists, individuals who turn up for discussions or allow for the opposite viewpoint to be heard when the issue of hate speech was realised.
He also entreated television and radio anchors to be careful not to make comments that may harm their audience about their race, culture, and ethnicity by adhering to ethical standards.
Although there were countries that had enacted laws on fake news, Dr Lyer said criminalising and having laws that banished it was not the best as there were different understandings of what fake news was and could undermine freedom of speech.
“Judges need to be careful to ensure that people are not convicted unfairly when it comes to the interpretation of the law with regards to fake news,” Dr Lyer added.
The Barrister-at-Law from Northern Ireland further noted that there was the need to avoid self-censorship as many individuals were afraid of speaking or sharing their opinions on issues for fear of being sanctioned or penalised.
The chairperson, an academic and a former Supreme Court Judge, Ghana and The Gambia, Justice Kofi Samuel Date-Bah, in his closing remarks said “addressing the issue of hate speech involves a process of discussion, taking into account the basics to arrive at a conclusion which reflects our culture and does not defeat the freedom of speech.”
#Transgender women and gay man targeted in Whitechapel arson attack hate crime, Met Police say
A devastating fire that tore through a flat in London’s East End is being treated by Scotland Yard as a transphobic hate crime.
The inhabitants are said to have just escaped the suspected arson attack which ripped through an apartment on the fifth floor of a six-storey block in #Whitechapel last Friday.
Chief inspector Dave Hodges said: “This is a live hate crime investigation with active lines of inquiry.
A Gofundme page set up to raise money for the flat’s three residents, two #trans women and a #gay man, described the fire as “one of the most terrifying situations any of them have had to face”.
It claims that the building’s fire alarms did not sound, and says “the outcome would have been fatal” had one of the residents not been awake and heard an explosion from her window, at the other end of the flat.
Around 25 firefighters in four engines were scrambled to the blaze in Whitechapel High Street at roughly 6.15am on April 14, after 14 separate people called 999 to report it.
They spent nearly an hour tackling the flames, which were under control by 7.10am.
Jack Gilbert, local resident and member of the NSY #LGBTQI+ Independent Advisory Group, said: “I am pleased the local police are investigating this as a hate crime. This means they know it will impact trust and confidence, and as a result have instituted the Gold Group process.
Anyone with information about what happened is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting reference CAD 1185/14Apr. To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A 27-year-old suspect is expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court today in connection with the murder of 10 people in one famiy in Imbali in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands on Friday.
It is alleged that a group of gunmen stormed the house and opened fire on the family.
One suspect was killed during a shoot-out with the police, while another was wounded and is still in hospital.
The KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Jay Naicker says officers have launched a manhunt for a third suspect.
