Friend Campaign was not popular, but this example has shown the impact campaigns can have on relationships and attitudes for the youth. One important point the participant made here was that her Buddhist friend was keen to be involved as she liked taking pictures to post on Facebook, as many young Facebook users do in Myanmar and across the world, showing us that it is useful to use a method that is relevant to young people’s lives. If more people were to have taken part in this campaign, it would have been more visible online to those who are also coming across hate speech, and may have influenced more people like the Buddhist friend. Prevention Identifying hate speech It is important to understand how we can identify hate speech in addition to understanding how we can counter or prevent it. Vollhardt (2006) notes that the ability to identify more subtle forms of hate speech at an early stages makes countering it more likely to be successful, thus preventing its gradual increase and normalization, which, as he believes, would otherwise result in violence of different forms.112 Therefore defining what is and is not hate speech is an important process in the counteracting of it. As Strachan (2014) distinguishes, there are two main characteristics of hate speech: dehumanisation and simplistic and unbalanced communication.113 Dehumanizing descriptions of groups, such as the use of animal names, can be an indicator of hate speech and future violence. For example, in chapter two I mentioned how Wirathu used the simile of a wolf or a jackal who, in large packs ‘hunt down other animals,’ to describe Muslims.114 Examples of this form of dehumanisation can be found throughout history such as the Nazi’s use of the word 112 Vollhardt, J., Coutin, M., Staub, E., Weiss, G. and Deflander, J. (2006). Deconstructing Hate Speech in the DRC: A Psychological Media Sensitization Campaign. Journal of Hate Studies, 5:1, 15-35, p.26. 113 Strachan, A., (2014) ‘Interventions to Counter Hate Speech’ (GSDRC Helpdesk Research Report 1116), GSDRC, University of Birmingham, p.1. 114 Kaplan, S., (2015) ‘The serene-looking Buddhist monk accused of inciting Burma’s sectarian violence’, The Washington Post, available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morningmix/wp/2015/05/27/the-burmese-bin-laden-fueling-the-rohingya-migrant-crisis-in-southeast-asia/, [November 2015]. - 50 -