ABSTRACT
This chapter studies international human rights treaties through the prism of the three-prong theory of hate speech. It focuses on a moral international consensus emerged about values that democratic states should protect from hatred. These are: public order from violence, equality from discrimination, and human dignity from hateful attacks. Incitement to violence and incitement to discrimination are mandatory within the major UN treaties. ICERD and ICCPR are compared to conclude that the work of the CERD is important as it serves as a guardian of human dignity, the HR Committee’s objective is the protection of communities and the interpretation of hate speech as a ‘poisoned environment.’ The chapter confirms that the theory that the definition and understanding of hate speech has evolved over time through the interpretation of UN human rights treaties adopted after World War II.
