London Bombings and Hate Crimes

During morning rush hour on July 7th, a series of bombings occurred in London. Fifty-six lives, four of them bombers were confirmed killed, and hundreds were injured. Prime Minister Tony Blair called this incident "barbaric." This terrorist activity not only caused physical damage, but may also bring long-term fright and anxiety in Britain.

We have seen in history that crimes resulting from hatred can be very severe. Hate propaganda can instigate and instill a sense of hatred in people, therefore acting as an unseen motive to attack. Terrorists release articles and videos with just such a purpose--to beget hatred in the readers. This instigates those who follow the terrorists to commit unpardonable acts.

On December 4th, 2003, the United Nations Criminal Court for Rwanda found three media executives guilty of instigating genocide in 1994. Two of them were sentenced to life in prison, while the third one was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The three plaintiffs worked for a radio station and a newspaper.

The judge found that the plaintiffs instigated race-based hatred, resulting in mass killings of innocent people in churches, schools, and hospitals. The radio station even announced individuals' names, license plate numbers, and locations of residence, leaving them nowhere to hide amidst the genocide.

A Chinese-language media was sued in Montreal, Canada, for using articles published by the Chinese Communist Party to attack Falun Gong and its founder. The result of this case is yet to be seen, but a piece of news from several days ago gave some indication.

In late June, police in Edmonton, Alberta Province, Canada said that after a year of investigation, they concluded that the pamphlets distributed by the Chinese Consulate in Calgary in 2004 with negative information on Falun Gong were hate propaganda. The distribution of these pamphlets violated Section 319.2 of the Criminal Code. The law banned the "wilful promotion of hatred" against an "identifiable group."

Canadian police's decision can help us understand the nature and motives of the distribution of information slandering Falun Gong, which has been spread widely by Chinese consulates and embassies, certain overseas Chinese-language media, and some self-claimed "representatives of the Chinese community."

A civilised society needs to stay away from hate and violence. Do we all have the ability to distinguish and take actions against the "seeds of hatred" around us?