The "Map of Intolerance," a project by Vox-Italian Observatory on Rights, revealed an increase in hate speech on Twitter in Italy against migrants, Muslims, and Jews.
The 4th edition of the "Map of Intolerance" by Vox-Italian Observatory on Rights was presented at Palazzo Marino, Milan's city hall. The report analyzed tweets from across Italy that were written between March and May 2019.
Data revealed by the project
The report found that hate speech against migrants has risen 15.1 percent compared to the same period last year. In tweets regarding migrants, hateful speech comprises 66.7 percent of the total.
Intolerance also grew against Jews, which the report's authors said was "nearly non-existent in 2018." Between March and May 2019, a total of 19,952 tweets originating from Italy were about Jews - 15,196 of them were negative.
Geographical analysis showed they were concentrated mainly in Rome, followed by Milan. Both cities have long established Jewish communities.
Intolerance online against Muslims remains high, and rose 6.9 percent.
Tweets of intolerance towards homosexuals, however, saw a 4.2 percent decrease. "Social media is the preferred route for hate" Vox co-founder Silvia Brena said, adding that social media is "now the preferred route to incite intolerance and contempt for minority groups or the weakest social groups. In addition, the narrative and language of politics have had an impact on the spread and viral nature of hate speech," Brena said.