Genocide is often preceded and accompanied by widespread hate speech. The leaders who planned mass killings in the Holocaust, Rwanda, and Srebrenica disseminated ideologies of hatred to spur their followers to act, to cow bystanders into passivity, and to justify their crimes.
It is becoming increasingly clear that certain types of hate speech can serve as both a warning sign and a catalyst of genocide and mass atrocities. Understanding how speech acquires the power to incite group-targeted mass violence, identifying where and when such inflammatory speech is occurring, and developing ways to counter such speech can all help to prevent these crimes.
Museum Programs and Key Findings
2014 Sudikoff Seminar
International experts convened at the Museum to refine and expand upon a toolkit of specific and practical policies and approaches to combat incitement to genocide. Learn More
Co-sponsored by the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United States, this panel discussion explored ways to address inflammatory language with policies and practices that do not infringe on free speech. Learn More