ZAGREB, 27 Nov (Hina) - The rise of inflammatory ideas and hate speech poses a threat to the foundations of our society and our future, and the strongest long-term weapon against hate speech is the education and upbringing of young people, a conference was told at the Police Academy in Zagreb on Tuesday.
Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović warned that hatred never begins with violence, but with words. "I am particularly concerned about the impact on young people because children are not born with hatred. Unfortunately, it is learned," he said.
He also warned that when hate speech comes from public figures, politicians or other authorities, its effects spread across the wider community and lead to violence.
Citing police data, Božinović said that 375 hate crimes and 98 crimes of public incitement to violence and hatred have been recorded in the last five years. Last year, 85 hate crimes were reported against 88 victims, while in the first 10 months of this year, 61 such crimes were reported against 67 victims. The most common motives are ethnic origin, sexual orientation, race, and religion.
Božinović also warned about the explosion of hate speech on the Internet "where words spread faster than ever, and their effects can be devastating". He said that the Ministry of the Interior has developed a proactive and holistic approach to this issue, and the Croatian police are now recognised as one of the best in the EU in terms of education standards and procedures in hate crime cases.
"Young people most easily recognise discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community"
Praising the work of the police and civil society organisations dealing with the protection of the rights of the LGBTQ community, lawyer Vesna Alaburić said that the human rights of LGBTQ people in Croatia are the most protected. She said that students and young people, when given various examples in workshops, most easily recognise discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community, while having the greatest difficulty recognising discrimination against ethnic Serbs.
"Young people today believe that hating and aggressive behaviour reflect strength and power"
Psychiatrist Darko Marčinko warned that young people today believe that hating and aggressive behaviour reflect strength and power. "Hating and aggressive behavior reflect helplessness and psychological impotence. This helplessness then reactively develops into aggression and hatred," he said. He, therefore, considers it important to educate young people because "we are facing an epidemic of loneliness, which is much more common in the young population."
Marčinko noted that the two main causes of the increase in youth loneliness are digitalisation and excessive use of digital media, and increased urbanisation. "Direct communication is key for healthy development and healthy relationships in the workplace and family. Online communication is important, but it does not have the power of direct communication," he said.
