Universal Periodic Review

Strengthen the efforts to combat hate speech, especially against minorities and migrants

Proponent:

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Apr 1, 2025):

Regarding hate speech on the internet, the Hate on the Net Act was introduced to help victims of online hate, including group-focused misanthropy (HiNBG see: here). Another positive development is that the Federal Ministry of the Interior has integrated the systematic recording of prejudicial motives in intentional criminal offences into police work as part of an EU project. For this purpose, the category „Hate crime“ was introduced in the police logging programme (PAD) as a separate „Motive“ tab with the title „Prejudice motives (hate crime) according to victim groups“. The recorded data is transmitted to the justice system via a separate interface: Electronic Legal Transactions (ERV) and subjected to quality assurance by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Around 30,000 police officers throughout Austria have been prepared for this task by completing e-learning seminars and receiving training as multipliers. The police now work on the basis of a victim-centred approach, actively listening to those affected and investigating consistently to ensure appropriate prosecution. These measures are designed to help tackle bias crime and improve safety for all citizens.
 In the Government Plan 2025-2029, the Federal Government plans to set up a National Action Plan against Hate Crime with the aim of taking targeted action against hate crime (see Government Plan 2025-2029: https://www.bundeskanzleramt.gv.at/bundeskanzleramt/die-bundesregierung/regierungsdokumente.html). The documentation of anti-Muslim attacks in Austria covers a variety of offences ranging from unequal treatment and insults to physical violence and vandalism. A particular focus was placed on online platforms, where a significant proportion of hate speech against Muslims is recorded, with the dissemination of hate comments accounting for the largest share at 87%. The attacks were documented in various categories of offences, including unequal treatment, insults, spreading hate, physical assaults and vandalism. Particular attention was also paid to online platforms, where the majority of hate speech against Muslims was recorded, with the spread of hate comments accounting for the largest share at 87%.The Documentation Centre Austria worked closely with various organisations, including the Initiative for a Non-Discriminatory Education System (IDB), the association ZARA – Zivilcourage & Anti-Rassismus-Arbeit and the Ombud for Equal Treatment (GAW), to document these cases and support measures against anti-Muslim racism (see Anti-Muslim Racism Report 2023: https://dokustelle.at/fileadmin/Dokuments/Reports/Report_2023/Dokustelle_OEsterreich_Report_2023_-_27.05.2024.pdf). Austria has launched programmes and initiatives to promote tolerance and integration. Nevertheless, reports of discrimination and hate speech continue to emerge, suggesting that further action is needed to address these issues. There is a need for continuous monitoring and improvement to ensure that efforts to combat hate speech and discrimination are effective and that the communities affected are sufficiently protected.