Skip to content
Blog

European Action Week Against Racism and Discrimination

26 March 2014

5 rules for preventing and responding to racism online

In 2012, Liam Stacey, a 21 year old student, was jailed for 56 days and suspended from university after tweeting racist abuse about footballer Fabrice Muamba. In response to his sentence, Stacey told the BBC he did not know why he made the remarks on Twitter, adding that it was a “stupid, massive, massive mistake and I’ve paid a big price for it”.

What Stacey’s story highlights is that young people, whether targets or agents, can be affected by racism and discrimination online. From racial slurs and targeted bullying, to memes that stereotype people based on race, a report published by think tank Demos in February found that 10,000 racist messages were posted every day on Twitter. Although the majority were not intended to be derogatory, around 3,000 tweets a day did indicate genuine racial or ethnic prejudice.

European Action Week Against Racism and Discrimination (21 – 28 March) aims to combat this racism and discrimination online. Part of the No Hate Speech Movement’s campaign to combat hate speech online, European Action Week Against Racism and Discrimination is a chance to help prevent and respond to racism. In support of the campaign we’re sharing 5 rules for preventing and responding to racism online:

  • Say no to racism – racism is not okay, online or offline, and that includes jokes that stereotype people based on race or ethnicity
  • Know the law – posting something racist online is against the law and you can get arrested for it
  • Protect your reputation – one stupid tweet now can affect your reputation forever
  • Think before you post – while you may not mean something to be offensive, you can really upset others
  • Report it – make sure you report anything racist online, and if you see a friend posting something racist you could explain why it’s not okay.

To find out more about European Action Week Against Racism and Discrimination (21 – 28 March) visit: http://www.nohatespeechmovement.org/

Latest articles

New resources looking at AI misuse and nudification​ launched today 

Childnet have launched a brand new resource exploring generative AI and how it can be misused, with a specific focus on using generative AI to edit a photo of somebody to make them appear nude or naked, sometimes called ‘nudification’. 

3 July 2025

“It’s not your fault.” Children across the UK create award winning films showing how to support each other against online scams

Today, at the Disney Headquarters in Hammersmith, the winners of the 16th annual Childnet Film Competition have been announced.

1 July 2025

What do I need to know about Minecraft? A guide for parents and carers

In this blog we will give you the information you need to understand Minecraft, some of the possible risks that your child may encounter whilst playing it, and how you can support them.