Specialised hate speech unit to be in place by September, minister says

The government will be setting up a specialised unit to deal with cases of hate crime and hate speech, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia said on Monday.

Farrugia was replying to a question by government MP Alex Muscat in parliament, who asked the minister what, if anything, was being done to counter hate crime online.

The Home Affairs ministry, Farrugia said, was currently in the process of setting up a specialised unit, that will include professionals, including psychologists, who will offer support to victims of such crimes.

Farrugia said that the ministry had applied for EU funds back in September, with the project having been approved for funding in March.

At the start of the year, the ministry had also started its search for a location for the new unit to operate out of, Farrugia said, adding that the ministry would be entering into an agreement to receive the funding over the coming days.

The unit would be operational by September, Farrugia said.

In addition to taking action against those who threatened people online, Farrugia said there was also the need for an educational campaign to teach people about the consequeces of their behaviour online, and to underscore that hate speech was illegal in Malta.