Sitting in front of their screen, they know no bounds: Angry citizens, trolls, members of political groups and others who let their anger run free. They defame, insult or sexualize people who make a public appearance on TV, in newspapers or on social media. This phenomenon is called hate speech. There has always been hate speech, but digitalization has made it a widespread and serious social problem.

What is hate speech?

There is no universally valid scientific or legal definition, but in principle, hate speech is when a person or group is insulted, devalued, discriminated against or threatened on the basis of certain identifying characteristics. This can happen, for example, on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, origin, religion, age, disability or social status. In particular, people in the public eye will be targeted, especially women: Female activists, journalists, politicians. Hate speakers have diverse profiles, but they tend to be male and – especially in the case of misogynistic comments – are politically right-wing. Hate speech is also an essential tool of new right-wing to far-right groups.

A threat to democracy and institutions

The consequences are manifold: For those affected, it is an enormous psychological strain; in the worst case, hate speech ends with physical violence. Socially, it leads to people withdrawing from public discourse and relinquishing political office. Against this backdrop, the Federal Council statedthat hate speech threatens institutions and democratic discourse. Scientists who are involved in the public debate are also exposed to hate speech. At the University of Bern, the case of astrophysicist Susanne Wampfler and her colleagues made the headlines in 2021 after appearing on SRF’s “Einstein” program (see below). The University of Bern took the incident as an opportunity to draw up a diverse package of measures. This makes it a pioneer among Swiss universities in the fight against hate speech.

Training and immediate assistance

“We proceeded strategically on the one hand, but also very specifically on the other,” says Gaia Fortunato from the Office for Equal Opportunities at the University of Bern. “It was important to involve various units, including the University Executive Board, in order to give the topic the necessary visibility and relevance.” As a first step, a working group against hate speech was initiated in 2021. Various offices and faculties with interdisciplinary expertise are represented in this group. The working group quickly submitted a comprehensive package of measures to the University Executive Board and this means students and employees have had access to various training courses and support offers since 2022. All offers are listed on the website nohatespeech.unibe.ch. An internal contact point provides support in dealing with online comments, e-mails or shitstorms and provides legal or other assistance as required. Media training sessions for researchers are also held on a regular basis.

Students learn how to deal with hate speech

In addition, the University of Bern offers its students an approximately two-hour online learning unit on hate speech. The module is one of 13 modules currently focusing on the topic of “Competencies for the (digital) future”. The students use videos, online quizzes and reading units to gain factual knowledge about hate speech. They get an overview of the definition and the legal basis and recognize when hateful statements are punishable.

Counter-speech and criminal charges

One way of opposing hatred online is through counter-speech. The idea behind it: If a community takes an active stance against hate comments, it can, on the one hand, reduce the hate and, on the other, reopen the discussion to everyone (see box). Criminal charges are another course of action. It is true that hate speech is complex from a legal point of view because there is not yet a comprehensive, specific factual basis for it. However, hate speech often qualifies as other criminal offenses, as Ineke Pruin, a professor of law at the University of Bern, explains: “On a case-by-case basis, you have to check whether a statement is punishable on the basis of the criminal discrimination statute, defamation, threat or coercion.” Up to now, incitement to hatred and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation are punishable, while other categories such as disability, gender or social status are still missing. At the end of 2024, the Federal Parliament voted in favor of making hate speech on the basis of gender a criminal offense. An article of law is now being drafted.

Support for those affected

Generally speaking, Ineke Pruin considers criminal charges to be an important tool in the fight against hate and hostility, but warns against seeing criminal law as a cure-all. She considers social support for those affected to be even more important. Virginia Richter, Rector of the University of Bern, also agrees: “We have to defend ourselves against hateful and humiliating reactions. These researchers have my full support.” And this backing makes a difference. As Professor of Astrophysics Susanne Wampfler puts it: “It helps to belong to an institution that does not tolerate hate speech, stands behind you and fights for you.”

Susanne Wampfler: “It’s been quieter lately”

“Many people seem to imagine a professor of astrophysics as a 60-year-old man. Because I do not fit this image, some people have questioned my competence and insinuated that I owe my professorship to connections. When there were so many offensive comments online in 2021 after appearing on SRF, it was hard to digest not being able to defend myself against them. Even worse are the sexualized comments, which one of my colleagues in particular was subjected to. But It’s been quieter lately. This could be due to the fact that the media have also been sensitized. Some online portals no longer feature comment columns at all, while others moderate them better. It is very helpful that the University of Bern Media Relations Office is supporting us. For example, it intervenes with newspaper editorial offices so that they delete disparaging comments immediately. It also helped when the rector at the time stood up and publicly condemned the defamation of researchers at the University of Bern.
It would be a great pity if we scientists stopped expressing our expertise publicly because we are afraid of what the reaction might be. Knowing that this is exactly what critics want to achieve is what motivates me to keep appearing. And I keep in mind that the women’s suffrage campaigners were also attacked. Now it’s up to me to play my part so that young people can eventually decide which career they want to pursue, regardless of their gender.”

Fabienne Amlinger: “I protect myself very consciously”

“Actually, I’m surprised that I don’t have to deal with hate speech more often. As a media spokesperson for the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (ICFG), I am exposing myself in a field that some people are defensive about and in which right-wing political networks are deliberately flooding the debates. I have been aware of this for many years, and this knowledge helps me. Because even if it is less than I had feared, there are still disparaging and borderline comments and even threats when I offer my expertise on the radio, in newspapers or on TV. This is sometimes excessive and fundamentally unacceptable. But I protect myself very consciously. I don’t read comment columns in online media. On the other hand, if someone sends me an e-mail, I try to reply. This has already led to a number of interesting e-mail exchanges, in which we found common denominators in the end. I want to take this opportunity to interact because I consider gender studies to be important for society as a whole. But in individual cases, when my inbox overflows after a quote in the media, I hand over my inbox to an employee. She examines the e-mails, forwards those that are relevant under criminal law and deletes the others. In the event of threats, we contact the in-house Legal Services Office. The fact that I belong to an institution that supports me through the Legal Services Office and the Media Relations Office is important backing!”