The Dangers of Hate Propaganda: Why Ethiopia Needs Democratic Militancy
3 Pages Posted: 21 Apr 2021
Date Written: October 18, 2020
Abstract
The philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said “the ancestor of every action is thought”. Emerson’s observation is also true in that speech is also the accessor of most political actions and historically responsible for various forms of mass atrocities. As much as freedom of expression gives vitality to democratic public discourse, it has also historically played a significant role in fomenting hatred and animosity and inciting despicable violence against particular groups of society. While it is true that the roots of genocidal violence — such as those against six million Jews in and close to one million Rwandans — have complex historical and socio-political factors, the historical evidence shows clearly that hate propaganda and incitement of genocidal violence had a significant role in those atrocities
Keywords: hate propaganda, hate speech, militant democracy
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