Hate Speech and Atrocities in the Age of Social Media
The Holocaust Did Not Begin at Auschwitz
Mar 26, 2021 — 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join us for a virtual conversation on hate speech and social media with UN Special Rapporteur Fernand de Varennes about his latest Report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in which he argues hate speech in social media poses the world’s greatest risks of atrocities against minorities.

Presentation
The University of OttawaCentre for Law, Technology and Society and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre present:
In his latest report, Fernand de Varennes, United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, addresses the widespread targeting of minorities through hate speech on social media. The report describes other related phenomena, including the widespread denial or failure of State authorities to recognize or effectively protect minorities against prohibited forms of hate speech. The Rapporteur concludes by emphasizing the responsibility of States, civil society, and social media platforms to acknowledge that hate speech is mainly a minority issue and, as a matter of urgency, their duty to take further steps toward the full and effective implementation of the human rights obligations involved.
The Special Rapporteur will be joined by professor Vivek Krishnamurthy for a conversation on hate speech, human rights, and minorities on social media.
About the Speakers
Dr Fernand de Varennes is United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues as well as Extraordinary Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria (South Africa), Adjunct Professor at the National University of Ireland-Galway (Ireland), and Cheng Yu Tung Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong (China). He is renowned as one of the world’s leading experts on the international human rights of minorities. He completed his law degrees in Canada (LLB, Moncton), the United Kingdom (LLM, London School of Economics and Political Science), and the Netherlands (Doctorate in Law, Maastricht). Dr de Varennes’ research and publications record spans over 200 publications in more than 30 languages. In recognition of his work and achievements in the field of human rights and the protection of minorities, he has received accolades from Africa, Asia, and Europe, including the 2004 Linguapax Award (Barcelona, Spain), the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and the Tip O’Neill Peace Fellowship (Northern Ireland, UK).
Vivek Krishnamurthy is Faculty member at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society, the Samuelson-Glushko Professor of Law in the Faculty of Law, and Director of the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC).