Ugly, dangerous, and a threat to democracy
It might be simply ‹letting off steam› for some, but it feels deeply threatening to those on the receiving end: hate speech. What happens if someone threatens to shoot people walking out of the Parliament Building? A case study:
Paul* has been angry for a long time. He has been in physical pain since he went for the COVID-19 vaccination. The pandemic is over, but Paul feels let down, not taken seriously and frustrated. He uses emails, which he sends to all and sundry, as an outlet. On this evening in September 2023, he sits down at his computer and agitatedly starts writing. He’ll show them in Bern how angry he is!
Thursday, 2.57 pm: fedpol reacts the second it receives the e-mail. Someone is threatening to shoot anyone walking out of the Parliament Building, Federal Councillors included. fedpol informs the Bern Cantonal Police and the security staff manning the entrances to government buildings. The cantonal police order security around the Parliament Building to be tightened: keep an eye out for suspicious persons and unattended objects. In the meantime, fedpol investigates who the sender of the e-mail is. The Zurich Cantonal Police, working with fedpol, detain the man at his home on the Monday. Paul lives alone and is surprised to find the police at his door. He had not meant his threat to be taken seriously and would never have actually done anything. He was angry and feeling unwell. Paul apologises for his foolish email. It is unlikely that he will commit an act of violence – this is what the police officers conclude after questioning Paul and observing him throughout. Once again, all’s well that ends well.
« We attach great importance to being able to establish a dialogue with citizens. Law enforcement is sometimes unavoidable; however, prevention is always the first step. In many cases – fortunately – law enforcement measures are no longer necessary after talking to the people who send potentially threatening messages. »
Sabrina, head of the Threat Management and Property Security Division
Switzerland, a haven of peace where Federal Councillors travel to work by tram and cool off in the Aare with the masses on hot summer days? Today, post-pandemic, the picture no longer looks quite so idyllic. Hate speech – like Paul’s email – was around long before the pandemic, but not to the same extent, not with the same aggression. Those responsible are often creative, creating blood-curdling, violence-filled photomontages and videos.
Hate speech: Definition
The Federal Council says: «Hate speech has no standard definition. In general, it is understood to mean the disparagement or defamation of people that is based on group-related characteristics. The aim is to marginalise groups and exclude them from society. It is therefore in direct contradiction to the values of a free and democratic order (equality of all before the law). Hate speech can, but does not have to involve calls for violence.» Hate crimes, however, are not limited to the spoken or written word – hate speech is just one example. Hate crimes also include attacks, vandalism, assault, sexual harassment, rape and even murder. Hate crimes can target not only people but also locations, such as places of worship or community centres.
In most cases, the people sending hate messages do not themselves take any action. But the fact is that they incite others and prepare the ground for like-minded people to send further hate messages. And who knows? At some point, someone may feel goaded to such an extent that they actually do something. And although the sender may see the message simply as an outlet for anger, something that can be done quickly, easily and anonymously via social media or email, the threat triggers fear among the recipients and their relatives; it shocks and intimidates them, perhaps forcing them to withdraw from a public position. Hate speech not only threatens people, but also institutions, democracy and freedom.
Roundtable on hate speech
On 11 December 2023, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) met with political parties, associations, security services and academics to discuss hate speech in Swiss politics. Numerous cases of threats and assaults against politicians have shown that hate speech has become a problem, at federal, cantonal and communal levels. Hate speech threatens democratic discourse.
* Name changed
A close look at state denying groups
Entry bans and expulsion orders