ERC issued 270 cautions over online ethnic hate speech so far in 2026

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has issued 48 cautionary warnings to social media users over ethnic hate speech between July 29 and August 24, 2026, marking an increase from the 37 warnings issued during the preceding reporting period.

According to the Commission, the warnings were issued for various forms of ethnically offensive content. These included 18 standalone racial slurs, 12 racially prejudiced remarks, nine racially derogatory statements, four racially hateful remarks, two racially divisive statements, two xenophobic remarks and one instance of racial stereotyping. The latest figures bring the total number of cautionary warnings issued by the ERC’s Media Monitoring Unit to 270 between January and August 24, compared with 194 during the corresponding period in 2025. Standalone racial and ethnic slurs accounted for the largest share of infractions recorded so far this year, with 77 cases. These were followed by 58 racially prejudicial or insensitive remarks, 45 instances of racially derogatory language and 21 cases involving xenophobic content.

The Commission said the increase in warnings reflects, in part, the expanded monitoring capacity of its Media Monitoring Unit and more systematic coverage of digital platforms. However, it raised concern over the continued presence of ethnically abusive content online and reminded citizens that social media platforms are subject to the same expectations of decency and mutual respect that apply to conduct elsewhere in society.