- Anne-Mai Flyvholm, University of Copenhagen: Prejudice-based trust violation: Reframing the wider social impacts of hate crime
- Anette Bringedal Houge, University of Oslo & Carola Lingaas, VID Specialized University: 'A relatively spacious margin for tasteless statements': A qualitative analysis of Norwegian courts’ demarcation of punishable hate speech
- Eyrún Eyþórsdóttir, University of Akureyri: Hate crime in Iceland: Exploring discrepancies between public perceptions and official responses
Abstracts
Prejudice-based trust violation: Reframing the wider social impacts of hate crime
Anne-Mai Flyvholm, Copenhagen University
Abstract: Stories about religiously and racially motivated hate crime and hate incidents frequently circulate in news media, on social media as well as through personal relations. Through a qualitative, comparative field study, the project explores how Jews and Muslims living in the Copenhagen area interpret and respond to reading and hearing of such stories about hate. This research project is part of a larger collaborative project, ‘In Terrorem’: On The Social Ramifications of Hate Crime, which is the first Danish study of the social ramifications of hate crime beyond the immediate victim. In this paper, I will present a preliminary analysis of the social and moral impact of direct and indirect experiences of hate incidents. It explores the connections made by research participants between narratives of hate crime and narratives of, for instance, discrimination, hate speech, political debates, adoption of new legislation. The paper pays specific attention to the impact on trust and trusting relations and introduces the concept of prejudice-based trust violations as an analytical tool for examining and understanding the wider social impacts of hate crime and hate incidents.
“A relatively spacious margin for tasteless statements”: A qualitative analysis of Norwegian courts’ demarcation of punishable hate speech
Anette Bringedal Houge, University of Oslo, Carola Lingaas, VID Specialized University & Rune Ellefsen, C-REX, University of Oslo
“You’re too dark-skinned to be here”, a Norwegian comedian told a young woman he met in a bar. The comedian was reported to the police for hate speech, but apologized by claiming the statement was an “extremely clumsy attempt to be funny”. The charges against him were eventually dropped. Although hate speech is penalised under Section 185 of the Norwegian Penal Act, members of minoritized groups report similar types of racialized comments to be quite common. According to the law, such expressions must be made in public and be ‘hateful’ or ‘discriminatory’ to be punishable. In this multidisciplinary paper, we perform a qualitative analysis of all publicly available Norwegian jurisprudence on hate speech. Applying a multidisciplinary approach, consisting of criminological, legal, and sociological perspectives, the analysis is limited to discriminatory or hateful statements against a person based on skin colour, national or ethnic origin (lit. a) and religion or life stance (lit. b). The paper systematically maps the Norwegian case law. It includes examples of court decisions and discusses who the perpetrators were, and under which circumstances the respective statements were made. It examines and critically discusses the legal threshold for imposition of penalties for hate speech. The paper identifies which variables the judges attach weight to in their interpretation and application of the law.
Hate crime in Iceland: Exploring discrepancies between public perceptions and official responses
Eyrún Eyþórsdóttir, University of Akureyri
Iceland, renowned for its peaceful environment, low crime rates, and global leadership in gender equality, has traditionally been perceived as a homogeneous and harmonious society. However, recent shifts in public discourse have brought attention to the emergence of hate crimes, challenging the prevailing notion that such incidents are not problematic in Iceland. This paper delves into the landscape of hate crimes in Iceland since 2018, shedding light on a divide between public awareness and official responses. This paper synthesizes findings from research on hate crimes in Iceland. The paper underscores the evolving nature of hate crime discourse in Iceland and highlights the growing urgency for effective measures to address this phenomenon. Despite the acknowledgment of hate crimes as a societal concern, there is a discernible lack of emphasis on combating hate crimes and hate speech within Icelandic authorities.