Hate online : anti-immigration rhetoric in Darknet

Abstract

<div lang="en" class="abs"><p class="abs_header">Abstract</p><p>The worsening conditions in the Middle-East and Sub-Saharan Africa have resulted in millions of asylum seekers entering the European Union. Also, Finland received over ten times more asylum seekers in 2015 than the previous years. The irregular migration has generated many public discussions and demonstrations at the local and national level against and for asylum seekers. Furthermore, online hate speech has increased and intensified. This research examines how asylum seekers are portrayed in a discussion forum inside Darknet. The results show that this forum holds three distinct hate-related themes when discussing asylum seekers. These were related to imported violence, economics and cultural identity. Hate speech is targeted towards very specific ethnic groups and religion(s), which resonate the current geopolitical situation in Finland concerning asylum seekers. In addition, hate extends beyond asylum seekers into Finnish society, where it’s expressed as negative speech towards the authorities and pro-immigration movement. The results also indicate that despite the Darknet’s reputation of being an unregulated online space, there are some rules, which guide the dialogues.</p></div>