ERC says support President’s clampdown on hate speech  

Dear Editor

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), fully supports the call by H.E. Dr. Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, for persons caught spewing race hate and hostility on social media, to face the full brunt of the law.

The ERC welcomes this since it believes its own efforts will be augmented. Over time, the Commission has been grappling with the ominous prevalence of race hate and incitement on various social media platforms. With numerous complaints received and instances captured by its Media Monitoring Unit, many online news establishments and persons were written to with some summoned through the “Persons of Interest” initiative and confronted. The findings and actions taken, were shared with the media.

Those efforts continue despite the many related challenges of fake profiles in some instances and difficulty in reaching others even with solicitation of the public’s help. The Commission is cognizant these efforts are not adequate to deal with the magnitude of this worrying situation. The Commission remains very concerned over the proliferation of race hate and incitement on social media and believes that President Ali’s announcement is therefore most timely and invaluable to improve race relations among our people. The Commission is available and stands ready in support wherever it can.

Regards

Ethnic Relations Commission