A/78/538 radicalize new members, who may then further the dissemination of online racist hate speech. 21 The Special Rapporteur is mandated to report to both the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council on trends in the glorification of Nazism. Her predecessor, however, reported on how digital platforms have provided groups espousing racial superiority and hatred with effective platforms for spreading their messages, organizing events and raising money. 22 24. Online racist hate speech is not only originated and d isseminated by those with ideological motivations. There are actors within the complex digital ecosystem who seek to instrumentalize underlying societal divisions and the fear and misunderstanding of “others” for personal and political enrichment. The Spec ial Rapporteur received multiple submissions about the use of online racist hate speech for political gain. Prominent politicians, including members of Governments, have used online platforms to express racist and xenophobic sentiments that tap into existing polarization in society to exacerbate divisions in such a way that they gain political capital. 23 The Special Rapporteur received reports that online racist hate speech can often increase around election periods. 24 Online racist hate speech can be used to target those who run for office and/or express dissenting views, such as academics and human rights defenders who fight racism and racial discrimination, including those who work directly to combat online racist hate speech. 25 Targeted online hate campaigns against such figures can discredit them and have a chilling effect on others, who fear being subjected to similar treatment, and therefore protect existing political power structures, which often exclude individuals from racial and ethnic groups. 26 25. The Special Rapporteur is of the conviction that it is very important to highlight how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was a significant context within which online racist hate speech flourished. As stated by the Special Rapporteur’s predecessor: “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed interlinking crises that had been hiding in plain sight: a public health disaster, and ethnonationalist rhetoric and politics – the latter driving impacts of and responses to the former. It laid bare how dangerous climates of intolerance, racialized and religious suspicion and fear can be to the social fabric that sustains prosperous and safe communities” ( A/77/512, para. 63). 26. In the United Nations Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19-related Hate Speech, it is described how the crisis led to “scapegoating, stereotyping, stigmatization and the use of derogatory, misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic or antisemitic language”. In that Guidance Note, it is also acknowledged that online platforms played a significant role in the spread of online racist hate speech relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also recognized in the Guidance Note that politicians were implicated in the origination and dissemination of online hate speech relating to COVID-19. The involvement of politicians in COVID-19-related online hate speech, including in the context of elections, demonstrates how the different contexts within which rac ial hatred is spread are interrelated and can be mutually reinforcing. 27. When looking at the motivations of different actors, it is necessary to highlight that commercial interests can play a role in the origination and dissemination of online racist hate speech. There are increasing numbers of individuals who routinely __________________ 21 22 23 24 25 26 23-20290 Ibid. Ibid. Article 19, “The politics of hate speech”, 27 November 2020. Submissions from South Asia Justice Campaign and FakeReporter. Submissions from AI for the People and the Federal Public Defenders’ Office of Brazil. Submission from 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media. 9/22