A/HRC/28/64 of structural inequalities in society, which make some more vulnerable, including to attack, whether verbal or physical. Many examples from different regions demonstrate the connection between hate speech and violence and that there are legitimate grounds to limit freedom of speech when it is motivated by or seeks to incite racial, religious or other forms of hatred. 72. It is difficult to talk about upholding the values of democracy and equality if certain groups are completely excluded from participating in or shaping that democracy in practice. If marginalized communities lack access to public platforms and communication channels, they have no possibilities to influence public opinion or to seek and obtain justice. Roma communities struggle to respond to hate speech in mass media from far-right groups and political parties, since Roma are almost completely excluded from mainstream media platforms. Where communities are regarded as inferior in any society, their voices will also be treated as inferior, regardless of how loudly they shout and how valid their concerns. 73. Action to address hate speech and hate crime must engage majority communities, including politicians, intellectuals, celebrities and ordinary people concerned about hatred in their societies, to join marginalized and disadvantaged minorities in demanding human rights, equality and human dignity for all. Such coordinated struggle must include legislative steps, but also requires swift and efficient social responses. If hate incidents are not tackled early, targeted groups may experience permanent damage to their self-esteem and sense of belonging within their societies, thereby increasing their marginalization. Majority communities may also gradually become desensitized to hate speech, to the point where they begin to accept the hostility and stigmatization against certain groups in their societies. D. Changing media landscape 74. Media, in all its diverse forms, is an essential component of today’s societies, providing huge benefits and possibilities, including in the field of minority issues and interfaith or intercommunity cohesion. Media offers immediacy in communication and exchange of information, often in different languages and representing different ethnic, religious and cultural viewpoints, which can reach all audiences. 75. The format of the media environment has undergone a dramatic transformation to host Internet and online media platforms, allowing live interaction and more rapid outreach worldwide. In the digital age, media has also widened its scope to include social media, where people share and/or exchange information, ideas and initiatives across vast national and international networks and virtual communities. New forms of online media which allow those who advocate hate speech or cyberhate to easily access large audiences are subject to less regulation than traditional media and provide anonymity to those who wish to exploit it. 76. While digital media has provided new spaces for minority groups to participate in the public debate, the accessibility, rapidness and relative anonymity provided by the Internet also provide fertile ground for spreading hateful content. Hate speech on the Internet adopts many forms and is disseminated through different digital platforms 29 — from highly organized hate groups which recruit, radicalize and instruct followers to attack targeted groups; the issuing of “hit lists” containing calls for violence against individuals; “cyberbullying”, which targets primarily youth and often originates from racial, ethnic or religious bias; dissemination of propaganda, misinformation and hate spam; exchange of 29 16 Ibid.