NEW DELHI – India and Pakistan have announced a ceasefire after coming close to all-out conflict, but citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation on social media.
A report from the U.S.-based India Hate Lab documented 64 in-person hate speech events between April 22 and May 2. Most were filmed and later shared on social media.
“There is a cyclical relationship between offline hate speech and the rise of harmful online content,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate.
He said the Pahalgam attack sparked in India a “significant surge in rallies where far-right leaders weaponised the tragedy to incite hate and violence against Muslim Indians and Kashmiris.”