What can I do?

Even if the insults and threats "only" consist of words to begin with, the threat is a very real one. The impact is greater still if violent comments are posted, and hate mail is received, over a longer period of time.

When this happens, not being alone and building up a circle of support will help you feel you are not alone. If you receive hate mail and cannot or do not want to read it any more, ask friends if they can check your emails and filter out any hate mail on a temporary basis.

Check which people can read and comment on your page and posts – change the privacy and security settings of your accounts if necessary. Where appropriate, you can also switch the comments toggle off. Do not publish your private email address.

Most social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube etc., have reporting functions for users to flag problematic content and accounts. Find out where you can locate these functions for the various platforms here: Report content.

Make a printout or take a screenshot. You can also take a photo of the screen. How to do this in a legally watertight way is explained here.

You can block people on social media so that you no longer see any messages from them. In the event of a shitstorm, this is, of course, very time-consuming. It can be very empowering to meet up with like-minded people at “deleting parties” to erase nasty emails and comments together and block culprits on social media.

If you observe hostility and violence online, do intervene. Again, you can report the attackers, confront them with their violent behaviour and point out their responsibility. You can always ask the person affected whether and in what form they would like to receive support. Give space to less privileged positions and voices, and share content and posts. Acknowledge that affected people can decide what behaviour, statements and words are discriminatory and offending. All too often, the violence women, queer* people, people with disabilities and people exposed to racism experience are downplayed or denied outright.

There are several initiatives that deal with the topic of hate speech and support people affected by it. On the "Information and support services" subpage, you will find a number of organisations offering advice and information on hate speech.

Hate speech can be very distressing and have long-term psychological consequences. This makes that, alongside technical intervention, emotional support is all the more important. You can get help and support and detailed advice at women's counselling centres. The counsellors there will listen to you, support you during crises and work with you to map the next steps you can take. Many counselling centres offer special advice on the different forms of digital violence. You can find a list of counselling centres here.