• speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and the like
• hate speech can be any form of expression regarded as offensive to racial, ethnic and religious groups and other discrete minorities or to women.
• in law: any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because
  • it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group,
  • or because it disparages (= presents as being of little worth) or intimidates a protected individual or group
• in some countries, a victim of hate speech may seek redress under civil law, criminal law, or both
• Council of Europe: hate speech covers all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including: intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of immigrant origin
• Generally speaking, the right to freedom of expression extends to unpopular ideas and statements which “shock, offend or disturb.” Nevertheless, a number of human rights treaties, including the ICCPR, not only permit states to prohibit hate speech but actually require them to do so
• Article 20(2) of the ICCPR requires states to prohibit hate speech:

Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.

• There is little debate internationally that restrictions on hate speech can be justified. Nevertheless, Article 20(2) has proven highly controversial and is variously criticised as being overly restrictive of free speech or as not going far enough in the categories of hatred it covers.
• website + hate speech = hate site
  • there has been debate over how freedom of speech applies to the Internet
• In Finland : if "hate speech" is taken to mean ethnic agitation, it is prohibited in Finland and defined in the section 11 of the penal code, _War crimes and crimes against humanity, as publishing data, an opinion or other statement that threatens or insults a group on basis of race, nationality, ethnicity, religion or conviction, sexual orientation, disability, or any comparable basis. Ethnic agitation is punishable with a fine or up to 2 years in prison, or 4 months to 4 years if aggravated (such as incitement to genocide).
• One resource to start with: http://www.blackwellreference.com/subscriber/uid=2287/tocnode?id=g9781405131995_chunk_g978140513199513_ss4-1