A/78/538 No. 35 (2013) on combating racist hate speech of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Paragraph 6 of the general recommendation serves to clarify that hate speech can include all the specific speech forms referred to in article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and can be directed towards all groups protected under article 1 of the Convention. To define the most serious forms of racist hate speech, the Special Rapporteur refers to article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. The Special Rapporteur interprets these elements as applying within an online context. Manifestations of online racist hate speech 13. In line with paragraph 6 of general recommendation No. 35 (2013), online racist hate speech can manifest in various forms, including online racism and hatred based on race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin and/or religion in cases where persons belonging to certain ethnic groups profess or practice a religion different from the majority. In the submissions on which the present report is based, the Special Rapporteur received reports about the targeting of multiple groups that fall under her mandate, such as people, including women, of African descent; Indigenous Peoples; migrants, including refugees and asylum-seekers; Asian individuals; Jewish communities; Muslim communities; those from oppressed castes; Roma; and Palestinian people. Online hate speech is often based on the “othering” of those perceived to be different and may target individuals and groups on multiple grounds. Submissions received by the Special Rapporteur indicated that online racist hate speech is often deeply interconnected with other forms of online hate speech, including based on gender; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex status; and/or disability. 4 14. Online racist hate speech occurs in the context of online communication and the sharing of materials on digital platforms. It can include the sharing of racist imagery, including through memes, manipulated images and/or videos, that promotes stereotypes and spreads hatred towards members of groups that are the most vulnerable to racial discrimination. Online racist hate speech can also include racially discriminatory comments made by users of digital platforms and the dissemination of racist conspiracy theories targeting specific racial or ethnic groups, including on online news sites. 5 It can include attacks or the use of pejorative or discriminatory language relating to extremism; accelerationist ideologies; white supremacist ideas; and the glorification of terrorist activities targeting members of racial or ethnic groups. 6 Online racist hate speech often dehumanizes people belonging to racial and ethnic groups and scapegoats them for real or perceived societal problems. 7 The originators and disseminators of online racist hate sp eech are sometimes anonymous and the targeting of individuals from racial and ethnic groups can involve bots, fake profiles and online mob attacks, whereby multiple users attack the same target. 8 15. These different manifestations of racist hate speech can occur in a range of online spaces, including social media platforms, chat forums and group chats on __________________ 4 5 6 7 8 6/22 Submissions from Guatemala, Ireland, Lithuania and Mexico, as well as from the Ministry of Justice of Denmark, Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean and others, FakeReporter and the Federal Public Defenders’ Office of Brazil. Submission from International Dalit Solidarity Network. Submissions from the Kingdom of the Netherlands and from International Dalit Solidarity Network, iCure and WYK Advocate. Submission from iCure. A/74/486, para. 40, and submissions from Asociación por los Derechos Civiles and FakeReporter. 23-20290