Hate speech is a form of direct discrimination which involves dissemination of verbal and non-verbal statements and messages that spread, propagate and justify hatred against specific individuals or groups, most often distinguished by characteristics such as

• skin colour (racism)
• ethnic origin (xenophobia)
• nationality (chauvinism)
• gender (sexism)
• gender identity (transphobia)
• psychosexual orientation (homophobia, heterophobia)
• age (ageism)
• world view (e.g. anti-Semitism, Islamophobia)

Hate speech can take different forms, such as dissemination of harmful content on social media platforms, incitement to hatred or violence, public dissemination of information, texts, offensive or humiliating images/materials about certain individuals and groups.

Hate speech is sometimes underestimated because of its seemingly harmless form. Theoretically, these are only words, but they also hurt and humiliate, they normalize hurtful opinions and create an atmosphere which provokes putting those words into actions. Hate speech may therefore be (and often is) the first step towards open violence.

This type of discrimination is becoming particularly dangerous in the age of the Internet and the mass media. People who use hate speech take advantage of their apparent anonymity, for example on social media platforms, and give vent to their prejudices and emotions. Allowing themselves to use hurtful rhetoric, they spread and reinforce negative attitudes and stereotypes towards certain social groups. It is necessary, however, to distinguish this type of discrimination from freedom of speech and the right to express one's own opinions. Hate speech inflames resentment, the desire to humiliate and hostility, and can lead to direct aggression.

Example: A student at a university’s forum recommends caution in dealing with Middle Eastern students because they can spread disease.