Hate Speech Proliferates in Bayelsa Campaigns, CITAD Expresses Concern
POLITICS DIGEST – The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has expressed concern over the unrestrained deployment of hate speeches in the ongoing electioneering processes in Bayelsa State.
CITAD’s coordinator, Countering Hate Speech Project, Hamza Ibrahim, who said this during a press conference in Yenagoa on Wednesday also explained that the followers of the two major contending parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are all guilty of this practice
He noted that the trend of hate speech, especially through online by followers of both parties “may be undermining the peaceful conduct of the election in Bayelsa.”
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He said the non-governmental organisation had so far “monitored and tracked a total number of 420 hate speeches online as well as violence against women items from different social media platforms” towards the November 16 governorship poll.
Ibrahim listed the social media platforms to include Facebook; Twitter; blogspots and websites of conventional and online newspapers.
He said, “On social media, the speech items were tracked from groups, pages and individual posts on Facebook, on Twitter from tweets and replies to tweets.
“On webpages of conventional and online newspapers as well as blogspots, the speech items emerged from the comments sections. The speech items tracked also included those done offline, particularly under election category in Bayelsa State.”
The CITAD official further said the use of pictures of animals and derogatory symbols were “continuously becoming common amongst members of different political parties, particularly in social media platforms.”
Ibrahim added: “The volume of hate speeches we are seeing as the election continues to approach are frightening, and even more frightening is the fact that some influential voices are also involved in making hateful remarks/comments.”
