People of Middle Eastern descent are most exposed to online hate speech

"The Dais," a public policy and leadership think tank affiliated with Toronto Metropolitan University, has published the results of a survey on online hate speech in the country, conducted with 2,500 people aged 16 and over.

According to the survey, while 61 percent of white people in the country reported seeing hate speech online, this rate reaches 71 percent among minority groups. Canadians of Middle Eastern descent make up the largest group encountering such rhetoric at 92 percent, with 28 percent of them stating that they were directly targeted personally.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE

People from South Asia are exposed to hateful rhetoric at a rate of 75 percent, and Black Canadians at 72 percent.

In Canada, the "Israel-Palestine conflict" ranks first among topics subject to online hate speech at 21 percent, followed by racism at 12 percent and antisemitism at 10 percent. Hate speech targeting former US President Donald Trump also appears in this ranking at 8 percent.

On the other hand, most participants asked about the potential banning of the social media platform TikTok support "some form" of restriction.

While 33 percent of participants advocate for a total ban on TikTok, 24 percent state that there should be a ban only for minors.

News Source: 12punto