Online hate and the contentious case of stirring up hatred offences

  1. Iñigo Gordon Benito
Revista:
Oñati socio-legal series

ISSN: 2079-5971

Año de publicación: 2023

Título del ejemplar: Los conflictos como pertenencia: Exploraciones acerca de las formas de resolución alternativa al castigo legal

Volumen: 13

Número: 5

Páginas: 1734-1755

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.35295/OSLS.IISL.1744 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Otras publicaciones en: Oñati socio-legal series

Resumen

En 2016, tal y como le había sido requerido, el Gobierno del Reino Unido facilitó pruebas documentales a la investigación en curso sobre delitos de odio y sus consecuencias llevada a cabo por la Home Office Affairs Committee (comité multipartidista de parlamentarios que trata asuntos de estado). Entre todos los delitos enumerados como parte de lo que se denominó como un marco jurídico sólido para combatir el odio online, sorprendentemente faltaba un conjunto de delitos. Los delitos de fomento del odio (arts. 18-23 y 29B-29G de la Public Order Act 1986), cuando menos equiparables a los previstos en el artículo 510 del Código Penal español (es decir, el discurso de odio punible), quedaron incomprensiblemente fuera de foco. De ahí que el presente estudio de investigación pretenda, en primer lugar, comprobar si esta decisión es o no entendible. A continuación, nos centraremos en algunos aspectos legales conflictivos relativos a dichos delitos para visualizar mejor cómo operan en la práctica. Finalmente, a modo de conclusión, se realizará un esfuerzo comparativo con el ordenamiento jurídico español, poniendo sobre la mesa los puntos conflictivos ya tratados.

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