In relation to the comment about reporting anti-Catholic hate speech:
12 years ago, around the time of the pope’s visit to the U.K., I would have reported loads of online comments for hate speech but I was shocked by the level of anti-Catholicism being whipped up by Peter Tatchell and co.
There was a public debate about the Pope’s visit at a venue in Red Lion Square where the atmosphere was febrile and apparently terrifying for any Catholics who were there.
It spurred the initiative I was a part of, Catholic Voices, where we attempted to put forward the church’s case in the public square and media in a reasonable fashion. It was also the start of the period of prolonged trolling threats and abuse because people wanted to try to dispel any image I had of being reasonable or nice.
We didn’t ask to ban people for hate speech, we just tried to counter the narrative.
12 years ago I was outraged and upset by the level of naked anti-Catholic prejudice and bigotry that was out there. I couldn’t believe people could be so nasty and ignorant and did worry about society turning virulently anti-Christian. I still get a bit irked by the idea that being a mainstream Catholic who does believe all the tough stuff, makes you either a fundamentalist (sigh that’s a specific theological term) or a hard-right fascist. Catholicism doesn’t sit neatly in the Western political left-right praxis and a lot of Catholic social teaching is far more left-leaning.
These days, I’m hardened to hate speech and don’t find it helpful to try to have it banned. I learned that most reasonable and intelligent people can see it for what it is and can counter it with their own narratives, including atheists! There was just a brief moment with the ‘skeptics’ when things felt a little out of hand, but these moments are cyclical.
That said, I feel very much for young Catholics who are students and in the workplace. They do very much have to keep their heads down and mouths shut in today’s society.
Sorry derailed a bit.
TLDR: hate speech is counter-productive in a liberal Western society. Let people see it for what it is and counter it. And MNHQ could always interject on a thread. Only the worst slurs (the n word, the f word etc) and threats of violence and wishing an entire group of people didn’t exist, that should be removed.