The widespread of hate speech in many dialogues of life as made its usage very common among the masses
Returning hate for hate, multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
This famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. is relevant in the grounds to date.
From political party leaders to the common public, hate speech now makes up a minor part of the daily routine. It is clear in all the mediums, be it online or offline or oratory. But the question here arises: how did a coarse thing like hate speech which Hitler used in his speeches to lure the masses became such a common object in India? How did it grow in the weeds of crime? Here are the 7 things you need to know about hate speech and crime.
- Leaders make a tribe
We can trace the popularity of hate speech to the speeches of the political leaders of India. Using words and actions which they thought were for their benefit was in fact coercive in real.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a rally
In 2014 when Amit Shah, the then BJP general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh made a derogatory speech in Muzaffarnagar. In his speech, he asked the local Jats to avenge the killing of their community members in last year’s riots by voting for the BJP.
The lodging of an FIR later underwent a revocation. Ironically, he then became the Union Home Minister of India.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is another leader popular for his Hate speeches. In a speech in 2015, Yogi made a statement that,
“If Muslims take one Hindu girl, we will take 100 Muslim girls. If they kill one Hindu, we will have 100 of them killed”
2. Tribe is ready
Now, as the leaders have created a fresh bid of hate speeches, let the roaches come in.
During the campaign for Delhi elections in 2020, Union Minister Anurag Thakur referring to the protestors of the Citizenship Amendment Bill raged the stage and those at a BJP rally by saying “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaron saalon ko” (shoot the traitors of the nation)”.
Although there was a ban on his campaigning for the next 72 hours they took no strong action against him.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur making his ‘derogatory’ speech
BJP leader Kapil Mishra who later rose to rankings because of his hate speeches made a controversial speech to the protestors of the CAA. In one of his speeches on 23rd February, he said,
“We will hold our peace until Trump leaves. After that, if roads are not cleared, we won’t even listen to you (police)… we’ll have to hit the streets”
This speech eventually led to the violent Delhi riots which claimed over 50 lives.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly quoted Mishra’s hate speech — although he did not name the BJP leader, he said “And there have been cases in India, for example, where someone said, ‘Hey if the police don’t take care of this, our supporters will get in there and clear the streets”.
3. Ignited by Social Media
The mammoth of Social media has given voice to any and everyone. Regarding its wider outreach and massive presence, hate speech has predominantly laid its feathers in recent times.
The presence of Hindu, Liberal, and many more ideologically inclined groups has made the distribution of selective, fake, and hate material quick and outreaching. In 2018, the spread of rumours regarding child traffickers, through popular messaging platform WhatsApp, led to a spate of lynchings in rural areas. The hate messages which received a lot of shares by thousands led to murders and lynchings.
4. No coercive action against the perpetrators
Hate breeders like Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Yogi Adityanath, A. Raja, Azam Khan, and many more who are free on the streets say a lot about our justice system.
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan
With their ill-wills and hate words, they have created a new breed of oratory speakers, who speak the devil in their speeches.
5. Power rests with the breeders
With most of the hate breeders having a criminal background are in Governmental positions, the path to the top is through loathing and detest. It has become very apparent that the aspiring individuals who ought to make it to the top have to pass through this phase of hate-mongering and learning.
When will hate speech end in India?
The answer to this question lies in the Constitution of India and the Courts of India. With more and more local and national leaders resorting to hate in their posts and speeches, it is prime time to shed maximum light in this arena of politics.
With the shifting paradigm of practising politics, the day is not far when every individual will gain a medium to express his outburst and will resort to hate speech.
