Report No. 267

Non-Legal Measures to Address Hate Speech

6.22 It is also worth considering whether there are ways to combat the harm created by hate speech that are less harmful than banning or blocking the speech. Currently strategies such as prior restraint or punishment for hate speech are being contemplated in Indian law.

6.23 Other strategies have also been explored in other countries and these include:

• Popular television dramas which subtly and effectively promote harmony between warring communities,
• the involvement of religious heads to build empathy across religious lines to reduce communal tension, and
• strategic interventions (especially in the context of social media) to monitor the dissemination of hate speech and mob mobilisation.
• Persuading people who are the weakest links, to stop spreading a harmful rumour.