Hate online in cultural communities

Members of some immigrants established in Canada are condemned for publishing hateful news in their community.

The role of social media in disseminating this news is worrying, says Destiny Teschovali, professor of communications at the University of Quebec (UQAM) in Montreal.

For example, at the level of African ethnic cultural communities, we see a proliferation of messages inciting tribal hatred or racism., Noted the expert on intercultural interactions.

There is a collection of information that is widely used by these communities, especially through Facebook and the WhatsApp application.

According to Destiny Decovali, News of tribal occupation [ou d’une ethnie] Another is often illustrated by very ideological videos or photos, which can have very negative consequences.

The professor says African communities are most affected by people from countries with ethnic diversity such as South Sudan, Cameroon, C கோte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sandra Sasa believes that having more than 200 tribes in her home country is an asset to be exploited.

Photo: Radio-Canada

Sandra Sasha, who is of Congolese descent and lives mostly in the Toronto area, condemns the behavior. This is an issue we are experiencing now. Unfortunately, social networks are beginning to become a tool for expressing a particular tribe. , She confirms.

Ms. Sasa says she has been discussing the issue with some members of her community for some time. He believes spreading hateful news weakens them.

As Franco-Ontarians, we are already facing many obstacles and trying to divide the community because beyond the barriers that this organization imposes on us here, we are still creating our own barriers.

Some immigrant groups are created and managed from their origins or outside of Canada, explains Destiny Teschovali.

Torontonian Nike Moffy

Photo: Posted by Nike Moffy

The Torontonian Nikis Mofi, of Cameroonian descent, also mentioned baldness in some of the groups his comrades had from Cameroon.

A native from Cameroon and currently on social networks, many tribal exchanges take place there. […] Fortunately, in our community in Ontario, and especially in Toronto, we did not experience this tribe., She mentions.

In most cases, reports of racial and ethnic hatred are influenced by the socio-political context of the countries of origin of the immigrants, says Nike Moufi.

Immigrants were called upon to play their role

Professor Destiny Teschovali invites members of the diaspora not to publish hate messages spread by groups on WhatsApp or Facebook that they have subscribed to.

For example, it warns on WhatsApp News goes so fast that sometimes we can’t get to the source . Destiny Tachovali says the influence of some immigrants will give credibility to the news to some unknown individuals.

Risk is when we act as a relay without measuring the relevance of certain messages, especially when we are an influencer or leader in certain communities. This [ le message partagé ] Probably a factor as to why they’re doing so poorly and why they’re doing so poorly , he said.

African ethnic and cultural communities in Canada have a role to play in their resurgence of tensions, but also in their emerging communities by playing a peaceful role.

More moderate and alert

Destiny Dechovali recommends strengthening control mechanisms through social networks to prevent the spread of messages of tribal nature.

We need extra control to have the most important moderate policy on social networks. Facebook began to clean up by setting up devices to identify malicious and hateful content , He explains.

Destiny Teschovali believes setting up online hate monitors could help.

Photo: Associated Press / Patrick Season

Between October and December 2020, Facebook moderated nearly 27 million content. About 0.10% is disgusting, according to the Web Companies’ quarterly transparency report.

In addition, Destiny Teschovali advises Canadians to be aware of cultural dialogue and living together.

We often tend to take for granted that there is social cohesion in an environment where multiple cultures live together and that people are open to being tolerant, without allowing others to discover what they are, their values ​​and its cultural references. , He adds.

Finally, Professor Dechovali considers it necessary Allow authors of hateful news to fall into the category of censorship that some states apply to social media.

To alleviate online hatred, Canada is working to amend its Criminal Code, Canadian Human Rights Law and Youth Criminal Justice Act. A bill was tabled in parliament last month, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice.

Online hate becomes offline hate and can have devastating effects on communities and families , Mentioned in the press release.

In Cameroon, the spread of hate speech is being taken seriously by the government, which has been organizing a national awareness campaign against hate speech and racism since March.

In May, Gibwe Enkoi-Entombe living in Kelovna, In British Columbia, was accused of inciting hatred against people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

A complaint against Gibwe Enkoi-Entombe was spread online, in which a person made threats against residents of the Katanga area. D.R.C.Democratic Republic of the Congo. However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Kibwe Nkoi-Ndombe Radio-Canada.