UN Declares Total War on Freedom of Expression
Forget about the free sharing of ideas: the UN believes that its "values" are under threat and that those who criticize them must be silenced.
The UN assures anyone who will listen that "tackling hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of expression. The goal is to prevent hate speech from evolving into something dangerous, such as incitement to discrimination,
to hostility and violence, which are prohibited by international law. "
But the United Nations does indeed attack freedom of expression, especially when those who use it criticize its agenda. This becomes clear when we remember that the United Nations Global Compact on Migration proposes to abolish public support for "media that systematically promotes intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants ".
Unlike the UN Global Compact on Migration, the UN Action Plan against Hate Speech contains a definition of "hate". And of course, the UN has made it as broad and vague as possible. For the United Nations, "hate" is defined as follows: "Any form of oral or written communication, or any behavior that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language against a person or group of persons on the basis of what they are, in other words, on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color of skin, origin, sex or other factor of identity ".
With such a broad definition, any statement will be called "hateful".
The UN assures anyone who will listen that "tackling hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of expression. The goal is to prevent hate speech from evolving into something dangerous, such as incitement to discrimination,
to hostility and violence, which are prohibited by international law. "
But the United Nations does indeed attack freedom of expression, especially when those who use it criticize its agenda. This becomes clear when we remember that the United Nations Global Compact on Migration proposes to abolish public support for "media that systematically promotes intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants ".
Unlike the UN Global Compact on Migration, the UN Action Plan against Hate Speech contains a definition of "hate". And of course, the UN has made it as broad and vague as possible. For the United Nations, "hate" is defined as follows: "Any form of oral or written communication, or any behavior that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language against a person or group of persons on the basis of what they are, in other words, on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color of skin, origin, sex or other factor of identity ".
With such a broad definition, any statement will be called "hateful".
In January, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ordered that a "global plan of action to combat hate speech and hate crimes" be drafted soon. He said that governments and institutions must "put in place solutions that meet people's expectations, calm their fears and anxieties. Among the possible answers, Guterres suggested limiting freedom of expression. Photo: Antonio Guterres. (Image Source: Fiona Goodall / Getty Images)
In January 2019, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres instructed Adama Dieng, his Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, to "promptly present a global plan of action against hate speech and hate crimes." ". At a press conference on the challenges of the United Nations for 2019, Guterres said, "Today's big challenge for governments and institutions is to show that they have a sense of responsibility. - and that they are mobilized to find solutions to calm people's fears and anxieties
Guterres seemed to suggest that one of these responses was to curb freedom of expression.
"We must mobilize all segments of society to defend the values we believe in and fight against the rise of hate speech, xenophobia and intolerance. Disturbing and hateful echoes from bygone times come to us, "said Guterres. "Poisoned opinions infiltrate the political debate and pollute the general public. Let's never forget the lessons of the 1930s. Hate speeches and hate crimes directly affect human rights ... "
Guterres added, "Words are not enough. We must be effective both in affirming our universal values and in addressing the root causes of fear, mistrust, anxiety and anger. This is the only possible solution
to rally public opinion to those values that are gravely endangered today. "
In other words, already renounce any principle of free movement of ideas and opinions: when the United Nations believes that its "values" are threatened, it concludes that those who criticize its values must be silenced. In a very hypocritical way,
the UN compares the criticism of its projects with the rise of fascism and Nazism in the 1930s.
This plan of action that Guterres evoked in January is now ready. On June 18, Guterres presented the strategy
and the United Nations Action Plan against Hate Speech:
"Hate speech ... attacks tolerance, inclusion, diversity and the very essence of human rights standards and principles," Guterres said. In an article, Guterres wrote: "To those who persist in using fear to divide communities, we must say this: diversity is a wealth, never a threat ... We must never forget that all of us is an "other" for someone, somewhere ".
The action plan immediately states that "hatred is spreading - in liberal democracies as well as in authoritarian systems. And every breach of our standards weakens the pillars of our humanity. " In this fight against hatred, the United Nations assumes the first role: "The United Nations will take a leading role in the fight against hate speech.
Our silence would be considered indifference to bigotry and intolerance ... "
The UN assures us: "Tackling hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of expression. We must simply prevent hate speech from progressing to dangerous heights, such as incitement to discrimination,
to the hostility and violence that are prohibited by international law ".
But it is obviously the freedom of expression that the United Nations seeks to limit, especially that which is critical of the major projects of the United Nations. Evidence was already evident in the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, one of the principles of which was quietly asserting the end of funding for "media that systematically promote intolerance, xenophobia,
racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants ".
None of these notions - intolerance, xenophobia, racism or discrimination - was of course defined, which made the Migration Pact a convenient catch-all for governments wishing to stop subsidizing
who question the current orthodoxy of human migration. [1]
Unlike the Global Compact on Migration, the UN Plan of Action does contain a definition of hate speech that is, by chance,
as vague and broad as possible. Is defined as hate speech:
"Any form of verbal, written or behavioral communication that attacks or uses derogatory or discriminatory terms against a person or group of persons on the basis of who they are, namely their religious affiliation or
ethnicity, nationality, race, skin color, origin, sex or any other factor of identity ".
With such a broad definition any speech can be described as "hate".
The Plan of Action "aims to give the United Nations the leeway and resources needed to combat hate speech when these rhetoric threaten the principles, values and programs of the United Nations. The measures taken will be in line with international human rights standards, including the right to freedom of expression and opinion. The objectives are twofold: to empower the United Nations to address
the root causes and drivers of hate speech [and] enable it to take action
effectively to weight the impact of hate speech on human societies. "
The United Nations is clear that its plan to combat hate speech "will lead to action at the global and national levels, and strengthen cooperation between concerned member states and the United Nations". "The fight against hate speech, adds the UN is the responsibility of all - governments, corporations, the private sector"; the UN is even considering "a new generation of digital citizens, empowered to recognize,
reject and resist hate speech". Welcome to the best of all worlds!
The UN plan defines a number of priority actions. An investigation phase will be put in place to enable the UN "to know more in order to act effectively"; to this end, "dedicated United Nations agencies ... will recognize, monitor, collect data and analyze trends in hate speech". The United Nations will also facilitate "the adoption of a common analysis of the root causes and drivers of hate speech in order to take the necessary measures to address the phenomenon and / or mitigate its effects". In addition, the UN will "identify and support actors fighting hate speech".
These dedicated United Nations agencies will also "implement human rights-based actions to combat hate speech and escalation of violence". Measures to "enforce the rights of victims and meet their needs will be put in place, including legal action and psychological assistance".
Disturbingly, the UN plans to directly pressure the media and influence children through education:
"The United Nations will need to establish and strengthen partnerships with new and traditional media to challenge the narrative of hate speech and promote the values of tolerance, non-discrimination, pluralism, freedom of opinion and expression ". The same UN "will take action on formal and informal education ... to promote the values and skills of a Global Citizens Education and to help critical knowledge
of the functioning of information and the media" .
The United Nations is fully aware that its goal will only be achieved by establishing strategic agreements with a wide range of international and local partners, with a large number of governmental and private actors. "The UN will need to establish / strengthen partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including those working in the technology sector. Most meaningful actions against hate speech will not be undertaken by the United Nations alone, but by governments, regional and multilateral organizations, private companies, the media, religious organizations and various associations, "said the plan. 'action. "United Nations dedicated agencies" will also need to involve private sector actors, including social networks, in the steps that need to be taken to support UN principles and actions to counter hate speech, in particular encouraging partnerships between government, industry and civil society. " The UN also says that "on request" will "provide support to Member States to strengthen
their capabilities and help them develop policies to combat hate speech. "
A concrete initiative of this action plan is already under way. An "international conference on prevention education, focusing on the fight against hate speech, will be organized in the presence of the ministers of education".
The new action plan fits right into the projects of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which for several decades has been trying to ban the criticism of Islam. In the wake of Guterres' plan of action, Pakistan announced a six-point plan "to tackle new manifestations of racism and hatred against faith, especially Islamophobia". The presentation of this Pakistani plan at United Nations Headquarters took
place in cooperation with Turkey, the Holy See and the United Nations.
According to various press reports, the representative of Pakistan at the UN, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, presented the plan at a meeting entitled "Fight against terrorism and other acts of violence against religion or belief".
"The rise of Islamophobia, which is the latest manifestation of this age-old hatred that has spawned anti-Semitism, racism, apartheid and many other forms of discrimination, is particularly alarming," said the ambassador. She added, "
My Prime Minister Imran Khan has again called for urgent action to fight against Islamophobia,
which is today the most widespread expression of racism and hatred of "the other".
"We are fully committed to supporting the UN strategy against hate speech," said the Pakistani ambassador. "The time has come for everyone to unite to break the wave of hatred and bigotry that threatens to undermine social solidarity and peaceful coexistence. "
In 2017, Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice-president of public policy, is said to have accepted Pakistani Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan's requests to "suppress false accounts and explicit hate speech and provocative incitement to violence and violence." to terrorism ", because" the whole of the Ummah is seriously concerned and worried about the misuse of social networks for the dissemination of blasphemous content ".
At the UN, Pakistan's ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, called on all governments to take action against hate speech, including through the law. She also suggested that a "more targeted strategy be developed to deal with various expressions of Islamophobia". A global "concerted" approach of governments and a global "concerted" approach of social organizations seemed to him necessary. The Pakistani envoy urged the Secretary-General to engage with a wide range of government actors, as well as civil society actors and social networks, to intervene and prevent the use of social media can not be channeled to online sources of radicalization
The total war of the UN against the freedom of expression is launched.
[1] In line with Goal 17 of the United Nations Global Compact on Migration, Member States commit to: "Promote independent, objective and high-quality information, including on the Internet, including by raising the awareness of media professionals migration issues and related terminology, by establishing ethical standards for journalism and advertising and by ceasing to allocate public funds or material support to media that systematically propagate intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants,
with full respect for the freedom of the press "[emphasis added]
Guterres seemed to suggest that one of these responses was to curb freedom of expression.
"We must mobilize all segments of society to defend the values we believe in and fight against the rise of hate speech, xenophobia and intolerance. Disturbing and hateful echoes from bygone times come to us, "said Guterres. "Poisoned opinions infiltrate the political debate and pollute the general public. Let's never forget the lessons of the 1930s. Hate speeches and hate crimes directly affect human rights ... "
Guterres added, "Words are not enough. We must be effective both in affirming our universal values and in addressing the root causes of fear, mistrust, anxiety and anger. This is the only possible solution
to rally public opinion to those values that are gravely endangered today. "
In other words, already renounce any principle of free movement of ideas and opinions: when the United Nations believes that its "values" are threatened, it concludes that those who criticize its values must be silenced. In a very hypocritical way,
the UN compares the criticism of its projects with the rise of fascism and Nazism in the 1930s.
This plan of action that Guterres evoked in January is now ready. On June 18, Guterres presented the strategy
and the United Nations Action Plan against Hate Speech:
"Hate speech ... attacks tolerance, inclusion, diversity and the very essence of human rights standards and principles," Guterres said. In an article, Guterres wrote: "To those who persist in using fear to divide communities, we must say this: diversity is a wealth, never a threat ... We must never forget that all of us is an "other" for someone, somewhere ".
The action plan immediately states that "hatred is spreading - in liberal democracies as well as in authoritarian systems. And every breach of our standards weakens the pillars of our humanity. " In this fight against hatred, the United Nations assumes the first role: "The United Nations will take a leading role in the fight against hate speech.
Our silence would be considered indifference to bigotry and intolerance ... "
The UN assures us: "Tackling hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of expression. We must simply prevent hate speech from progressing to dangerous heights, such as incitement to discrimination,
to the hostility and violence that are prohibited by international law ".
But it is obviously the freedom of expression that the United Nations seeks to limit, especially that which is critical of the major projects of the United Nations. Evidence was already evident in the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, one of the principles of which was quietly asserting the end of funding for "media that systematically promote intolerance, xenophobia,
racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants ".
None of these notions - intolerance, xenophobia, racism or discrimination - was of course defined, which made the Migration Pact a convenient catch-all for governments wishing to stop subsidizing
who question the current orthodoxy of human migration. [1]
Unlike the Global Compact on Migration, the UN Plan of Action does contain a definition of hate speech that is, by chance,
as vague and broad as possible. Is defined as hate speech:
"Any form of verbal, written or behavioral communication that attacks or uses derogatory or discriminatory terms against a person or group of persons on the basis of who they are, namely their religious affiliation or
ethnicity, nationality, race, skin color, origin, sex or any other factor of identity ".
With such a broad definition any speech can be described as "hate".
The Plan of Action "aims to give the United Nations the leeway and resources needed to combat hate speech when these rhetoric threaten the principles, values and programs of the United Nations. The measures taken will be in line with international human rights standards, including the right to freedom of expression and opinion. The objectives are twofold: to empower the United Nations to address
the root causes and drivers of hate speech [and] enable it to take action
effectively to weight the impact of hate speech on human societies. "
The United Nations is clear that its plan to combat hate speech "will lead to action at the global and national levels, and strengthen cooperation between concerned member states and the United Nations". "The fight against hate speech, adds the UN is the responsibility of all - governments, corporations, the private sector"; the UN is even considering "a new generation of digital citizens, empowered to recognize,
reject and resist hate speech". Welcome to the best of all worlds!
The UN plan defines a number of priority actions. An investigation phase will be put in place to enable the UN "to know more in order to act effectively"; to this end, "dedicated United Nations agencies ... will recognize, monitor, collect data and analyze trends in hate speech". The United Nations will also facilitate "the adoption of a common analysis of the root causes and drivers of hate speech in order to take the necessary measures to address the phenomenon and / or mitigate its effects". In addition, the UN will "identify and support actors fighting hate speech".
These dedicated United Nations agencies will also "implement human rights-based actions to combat hate speech and escalation of violence". Measures to "enforce the rights of victims and meet their needs will be put in place, including legal action and psychological assistance".
Disturbingly, the UN plans to directly pressure the media and influence children through education:
"The United Nations will need to establish and strengthen partnerships with new and traditional media to challenge the narrative of hate speech and promote the values of tolerance, non-discrimination, pluralism, freedom of opinion and expression ". The same UN "will take action on formal and informal education ... to promote the values and skills of a Global Citizens Education and to help critical knowledge
of the functioning of information and the media" .
The United Nations is fully aware that its goal will only be achieved by establishing strategic agreements with a wide range of international and local partners, with a large number of governmental and private actors. "The UN will need to establish / strengthen partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including those working in the technology sector. Most meaningful actions against hate speech will not be undertaken by the United Nations alone, but by governments, regional and multilateral organizations, private companies, the media, religious organizations and various associations, "said the plan. 'action. "United Nations dedicated agencies" will also need to involve private sector actors, including social networks, in the steps that need to be taken to support UN principles and actions to counter hate speech, in particular encouraging partnerships between government, industry and civil society. " The UN also says that "on request" will "provide support to Member States to strengthen
their capabilities and help them develop policies to combat hate speech. "
A concrete initiative of this action plan is already under way. An "international conference on prevention education, focusing on the fight against hate speech, will be organized in the presence of the ministers of education".
The new action plan fits right into the projects of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which for several decades has been trying to ban the criticism of Islam. In the wake of Guterres' plan of action, Pakistan announced a six-point plan "to tackle new manifestations of racism and hatred against faith, especially Islamophobia". The presentation of this Pakistani plan at United Nations Headquarters took
place in cooperation with Turkey, the Holy See and the United Nations.
According to various press reports, the representative of Pakistan at the UN, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, presented the plan at a meeting entitled "Fight against terrorism and other acts of violence against religion or belief".
"The rise of Islamophobia, which is the latest manifestation of this age-old hatred that has spawned anti-Semitism, racism, apartheid and many other forms of discrimination, is particularly alarming," said the ambassador. She added, "
My Prime Minister Imran Khan has again called for urgent action to fight against Islamophobia,
which is today the most widespread expression of racism and hatred of "the other".
"We are fully committed to supporting the UN strategy against hate speech," said the Pakistani ambassador. "The time has come for everyone to unite to break the wave of hatred and bigotry that threatens to undermine social solidarity and peaceful coexistence. "
In 2017, Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice-president of public policy, is said to have accepted Pakistani Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan's requests to "suppress false accounts and explicit hate speech and provocative incitement to violence and violence." to terrorism ", because" the whole of the Ummah is seriously concerned and worried about the misuse of social networks for the dissemination of blasphemous content ".
At the UN, Pakistan's ambassador, Maleeha Lodhi, called on all governments to take action against hate speech, including through the law. She also suggested that a "more targeted strategy be developed to deal with various expressions of Islamophobia". A global "concerted" approach of governments and a global "concerted" approach of social organizations seemed to him necessary. The Pakistani envoy urged the Secretary-General to engage with a wide range of government actors, as well as civil society actors and social networks, to intervene and prevent the use of social media can not be channeled to online sources of radicalization
The total war of the UN against the freedom of expression is launched.
[1] In line with Goal 17 of the United Nations Global Compact on Migration, Member States commit to: "Promote independent, objective and high-quality information, including on the Internet, including by raising the awareness of media professionals migration issues and related terminology, by establishing ethical standards for journalism and advertising and by ceasing to allocate public funds or material support to media that systematically propagate intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination against migrants,
with full respect for the freedom of the press "[emphasis added]
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