Ramallah - 11/10/2018 - The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) concluded a training course in Ramallah on Monday (8/10/2018) on "Countering Hate Speech in Palestine" for a group of journalists from several media organizations from the West Bank.

This training course which is considered the first of its kind in Palestine, is part of a number of activities carried out by the MADA Center as part of the project "Countering Hate Speech in Palestine" funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) within the International Programme for the Development of Communication. Additionally, the project includes a number of activities such as media campaigns through social media, publications, radio programmes and short films.

The training course aims at enhancing the awareness and empowerment of journalists on the subject of hate speech, clarifying the dividing line between hate speech and freedom of opinion and expression, providing them with the mechanisms through which they can confront and reduce this kind of speech and promote dialogue between cultures and different affiliations through the media, especially within the Palestinian society.

The three-day course which was delivered by two professional trainers in the fields of media and human rights; Muhammad Khader and Majid Arouri; saw the attendance of 20 journalists from various media organizations and media students from the West Bank.

The training dealt with the definition of hate speech at both the social and political levels, the line between hate speech and freedom of opinion and expression, and the legal treatment of this speech. Some international models of hate speech were also highlighted, and mechanisms to combat this speech at the level of traditional media or through social media.

The project coordinator, Sharif Suleiman stressed the importance of shedding light on this concept, especially with the weak addressing of it in the Palestinian society, and the consequent need to fight hate speech, especially in the Palestinian media, and develop it to spread the values of tolerance and to combat verbal violence.

He also pointed out that this project comes in the context of the Mada Center's continuous efforts to raise the Palestinian media and raise the awareness of local journalists on the issues that are dealt with internationally. Developing media discourse and disseminating the values of non-discrimination, pluralism and respect for differences of opinion.

The participants in the training course recommended the promotion of a culture of dialogue in the Palestinian society, the promotion of tolerance, equality and freedom of expression, and its role in deepening the culture of pluralism and rejection of hatred in society, and demanded that such training be given to opinion makers, politicians, media spokesmen and all the media.

At the end of the course, certificates were distributed to the trainees who agreed on the need for the Palestinian media to apply professional standards in media work, not to confuse opinion and news, and to incriminate the discourse of hatred in the Palestinian society through the rule of law and its application to everyone in a fair manner.