Latest news with #hateSpeech
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
White supremacists gather outside Melbourne shopping centre
A group of white supremacists have gathered outside a busy shopping centre in Melbourne. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday morning at Northland Shopping Centre, only a week after a violent brawl broke out between rival gangs at the complex. Model and diversity advocate Jeff Kissubi posted an image of the shocking scene to Instagram, saying it highlighted 'Australia's racism problem'. The images showed the group holding signs and chanted racist slogans. Mr Kissubi said there were 'no police in sight' at the shopping centre. Victoria Police confirmed it was investigating an 'offensive banner' outside a Preston shopping centre. 'There is absolutely no place for antisemitic, racist or hate-based behaviour in our society and police will not tolerate such activity,' police added. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said the behaviour had 'no place' in Australia, describing it as 'hateful' and 'extremist'. 'This is disgusting behaviour by a group of cowards who seek to do nothing more than intimidate and spread hatred – we will not stand for it,' she told The Guardian. The latest incident comes a week after a brawl broke out at the centre on May 25. Crowds fled the area after a fight in the food court, that left a young man with serious head injuries. That incident prompted the state government to bring forward a ban on the sale of machetes. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Ms Allan said on Monday. 'I hate these knives, and I will keep introducing as many laws as it takes to get them off our streets, out of our shops and out of our lives.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
It was ChatGPT, says Italian who ‘hoped Meloni's daughter would meet same fate as murder victim'
An Italian teacher who called for Giorgia Meloni 's eight-year-old daughter to be murdered has blamed ChatGPT for his online post. Stefano Addeo, 65, who teaches German in a school near Naples, caused fury at the weekend when he wrote on social media that he hoped Ginevra, the Italian prime minister's daughter, would 'meet the same fate' as a 14-year-old girl who was recently allegedly murdered by her jilted boyfriend. The post was condemned across the political spectrum, with opposition MPs as well as members of the governing coalition saying it was unacceptable. He is now under investigation by the authorities for inciting hatred. Mr Addeo attempted on Monday to justify the message, saying that it had been created by the artificial intelligence chatbot, albeit at his request. He told the La Repubblica newspaper: 'It wasn't me, it was artificial intelligence. I saw on television on Friday that the government was not distancing itself from the war in Israel. I asked ChatGTP to create a message critical of Meloni. This crazy thing emerged and I posted it.' Asked why he had not taken a moment to reflect on the gravity of the post, he said: 'I just wanted to post something. ChatGTP is more harmful than you think. I'm a Catholic, I'm in favour of animal rights, I'm a vegetarian. 'I'm on the Left but that does not excuse this type of message. I've had to cancel all my social media platforms, the consequences have been really ugly. I've had to shut myself away at home. 'People are throwing tomatoes at my front door. I have been depicted as a monster. I'm really shocked – people are issuing threats against me. I did a really stupid thing.' He said furore over the incident meant he had been harangued in the streets of his home town. The teacher, who has no children and lives with his 90-year-old mother, said that if he had the opportunity to meet the prime minister, he would apologise. 'I would hug her, asking her forgiveness. I wish only the best for her daughter, although I would advise her to be careful about social media,' he said. But it has emerged he has also posted messages threatening the children of other members of the Right-wing coalition – Matteo Salvini, the transport minister and head of the League party, and Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister and a former European commissioner. 'This is intolerable – you can attack me, but not my daughter,' said Mr Salvini. The teacher's social media post was a reference to the horrific case of Martina Carbonaro, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was beaten to death with a rock a few days ago, allegedly by her 18-year-old ex-boyfriend. He was allegedly furious that she had ended their relationship. After attacking her, he attempted to hide her body beneath rubbish and debris in an abandoned farmhouse near the town of Afragola, north of Naples, it was reported. Ms Meloni, who is halfway into her five-year term as premier, has decried what she called a 'sick climate' in Italian political discourse. She said that threats made against her and her young daughter represent 'a spiral of hatred fed by an ideological fanaticism that has exceeded every limit. No political differences or ideological cause can ever justify attacks on children'.
Arab News
4 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistani ambassador meets Egypt's grand mufti to discuss interfaith harmony, religious education
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Ambassador to Egypt Aamer Shouket recently met the country's Grand Mufti Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad to discuss the need for interfaith harmony, the threat posed by hate speech and religious education cooperation between the two countries, the Pakistani embassy in Cairo said. Pakistan has made a conscious effort to promote religious pluralism and faith-based tourism in recent years, welcoming Buddhist monks as well as Hindu and Sikh devotees from India and other countries. However, the country continues to grapple with significant challenges, as religious minorities often complain of discrimination and marginalization in Pakistan. Shouket met Dr. Ayyad in Cairo at Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta, the country's pioneer foundation that issues religious verdicts on various issues, the Pakistani embassy said on Sunday. 'The meeting discussed matters related to issues and challenges facing the Muslim world,' the statement said. 'Hate speech was identified as a threat to peace and interfaith harmony.' Ambassador Aamir Shouket @aamirshouket called on the #Grand #Mufti of #Egypt Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad @DarAlIftaEng #Cairo today.@ForeignOfficePk @MORAisbOfficial @MoIB_Official@GovtofPakistan @PkPublicDiplo @epwing_official @appcsocialmedia — Pakistan Embassy Egypt (@PakinEgypt) June 1, 2025 The Pakistani ambassador also expressed satisfaction over the existing cooperation between Islamabad and Cairo in religious education, the embassy said. 'The Ambassador admired the role of Al-Azhar scholars toward spreading the true spirit of Islam across the world,' it added. Dr. Ayyad stated that Pakistan was 'very well respected' in Egyptian society as a prominent Muslim country, the embassy said. The Egyptian grand mufti recalled his recent visit to Pakistan where he met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed his best wishes and prayers for the people of Pakistan. Pakistan and Egypt enjoy cordial ties that date back several decades. Egypt plans to establish a campus of its Al-Azhar University, one of the world's oldest centers of Islamic education, in Pakistan.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Gary Lineker will not face police action over anti-Semitic rat post
Gary Lineker will not face police action over the anti-Semitic rat social media post after Scotland Yard told complainants it will not pursue a case. Officers visited several members of the public who had told them they were distressed by the Instagram post which prompted Lineker's BBC exit. However, the Metropolitan Police, after assessing reports, has now concluded no crime was committed. 'We received a number of reports from members of the public relating to a post published on social media on Monday, 12 May,' a statement sent to Telegraph Sport says. 'The reports have been assessed. No offences were identified and there will be no further police involvement.' It had appeared unlikely from the outset that any law might have been broken by Lineker, who deleted the post and claimed he was unaware of the rat cartoon or its historically offensive symbolism. Officers may have been considering, however, whether the post amounted to a non-crime hate incident (NCHI) where records are kept for speech that is perceived to demonstrate hostility. Lineker's BBC departure was confirmed a week ago after mounting pressure within the corporation and beyond over a pro-Palestine video he shared on Instagram Story. Police were called in 10 days ago specifically about the rat emoji, an icon used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people. The former England captain has lost out on an estimated £800,000 after leaving without a pay-off. Sources close to the corporation say the decision to drop him was made primarily by BBC chiefs who had run out of patience with his outspoken political views. Lineker's final Match of the Day, after 26 years as anchor, was screened on Sunday. He broke down in tears at tributes from various famous faces and his family to his career on the show. He then embraced his first day of post-BBC freedom on Monday by defiantly sharing a poem of support for Palestine which includes a George Orwell quotation.
The Herald
26-05-2025
- The Herald
SAHRC takes legal action against Gqeberha shop owner for displaying anti-LGBTQ+ sign
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has announced it is initiating legal proceedings against a Gqeberha shop owner, Dawood Lagardien, for publicly displaying an anti-LGBTQ+ sign outside his business. The commission alleges the sign constitutes discrimination, hate speech and harassment against the LGBTQ+ community. The sign displayed outside Lagardien's business read: 'LGBTQ not welcome at La Gardi — Save our children.' According to the SAHRC, the signage was intended to exclude members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual+ (LGBTQ+) community from accessing services offered by the business. 'In addition, the respondent established and actively managed a WhatsApp group titled 'Our Rights — anti LGBTQ+', which contains statements and material that appear to incite harm against individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and related communities. After assessment of the complaint , the commission has concluded that the alleged actions by Mr Dawood Lagardien constitute hate speech and/or harassment as contemplated in terms of sections 10 and 11 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA or Equality Act),' said the commission. The commission emphasised 'the critical importance' of fostering a society rooted in non-discrimination, while actively promoting and safeguarding the right to equality for all individuals, irrespective of their sexual orientation. 'The commission is empowered in terms of section 13(3)(b) of the South African Human Rights Commission Act (SAHRC Act), to bring proceedings in a competent court or tribunal in its own name or on behalf of a person or a group or class of people,' it said. The case is scheduled to be heard in the Equality Court sitting in the East London high court on Monday. TimesLIVE
