Extremism on the internet

Styrian reporting office: “Crises promote hate”

"Social media acts as an accelerant," says Daniela Grabovic from the Styrian Anti-Discrimination Office.

(Bild: ©Thaspol - stock.adobe.com)

For six years now, hate postings and radical messages can be reported anonymously in the Styrian app "BanHate". Numbers have recently exploded. New guide lists extremist symbols. 

When browsing through social media, the "gray pear" often rises up, to put it in good Austrian terms: Insults, hatred, incitement and disparagement of various population groups are the order of the day. However, the internet is not a legal vacuum and such hate postings can have criminal consequences. This is why the Styrian Anti-Discrimination and Extremism Prevention Office launched the "BanHate" app in 2017.

Reports increased dramatically last year
Anyone can anonymously report hate postings and, since 2020, hate crimes outside of the digital space. "Because the worst thing is when those affected can't do anything. We want to take away their feeling of powerlessness," says Social Affairs Minister Doris Kampus (SPÖ). The number of reports is constantly increasing and has risen dramatically in the last year (see chart below).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

"Social media acts as an accelerant in the spread of hate and hate speech", explains Daniela Grabovac, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Office. While migrants were the main targets of hate when the app was launched shortly after the refugee crisis in 2015, a wide variety of groups are now affected: From women to homosexuals and transgender people to Jews and Muslims.

"Radicalization is no longer a marginal phenomenon"
Social media is always a mirror of current events. "The statistics show that times of crisis promote hatred and hate speech," says Grabovac, citing the coronavirus pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as examples. And: "Radicalization is no longer a marginal phenomenon, but is becoming increasingly normalized."

How the app works

In 2017, the free app "BanHate" (meaning "ban hate") was launched by the Extremism Prevention Office of the Province of Styria and the City of Graz. This made them pioneers throughout Austria.

How does reporting via app work?

After registering, anyone can anonymously report hate postings from social media or messenger services and document them with screenshots, including hate crimes outside of the internet.

What happens to my report?

Experts from the Extremism Prevention Center will check the report, document the facts and forward the results to the relevant authorities if necessary. You can track the status in the app.

What can I do with it?

If a posting is criminally relevant (e.g. under the Prohibition Act), the author can be reported and subsequently convicted. In addition, the posting can be deleted.

Extremists know how to cleverly exploit this and are increasingly using secret codes and symbols. Well-known examples include the wolf salute used by Turkish ultra-nationalists and the number 88 (for Heil Hitler). "These symbols are noticeable in professional and private environments, but there is a lack of knowledge about them," says Daniela Grabovac.

Presented new guide to extremist symbols: Daniela Grabovac, Head of the Extremism Prevention Unit (center), Provincial Councillors Simone Schmiedtbauer (2nd from left) and Doris Kampus (3rd from left) as well as experts from the Prevention Unit.

(Bild: Baumgartner)

Experts from the Extremism Prevention Unit have therefore drawn up a new guide to radicalization symbols, which is now being distributed to schools and public institutions and can be downloaded online at www.no-extremism.at.