The ‘Troll of the Month’ feature names and shames public figures responsible for anti-religious hate speech.
HULL DAILY MAIL - TROLL OF THE MONTH
A local newspaper in Hull, a city in the United Kingdom, published an divisive article in their print paper in March.
Aalst Carnival - TROLL OF THE MONTH
From the 21st to the 26th of February, the annual Carnival parade took place in Aalst, Belgium. Last year, the event drew a large number of complaints from Jewish organisations and public institutions due to the antisemitic stereotypical dresses and costumes exposed during the parade. This led UNESCO to officially removed Aalst Carnival from the UNESCO Intangible World Heritage list. In response to criticism at the time, the mayor of Aalst stated that he believes the group when they say there was no malicious intent with the float, and that the city does not want to impose censure on the carnival.
Melanie Phillips - TROLL OF THE MONTH
Melanie Phillips is a British author who writes for various platforms, including The Times, The Jerusalem Post, and The Jewish Chronicle. She mainly covers political and social issues, and is known for her conservative perspective. She is also known for having a strong anti-Muslim rhetoric, which can be found in her writing time and time again.
Gergely Karácsony - Trollslayer of the Month
Following the appearance of antisemitic posters across the city of Budapest, the newly elected mayor Gergely Karácsony requested their immediate removal, giving an encouraging sign of hope in a country where Fidesz party’s xenophobic narratives seem to prevail.
DH.be - Media High Five!
Prompted by a complaint by the European Network On Religious Belief, the Belgian news site DH.be changed a photo used in an article about people’s attitudes towards Muslim head coverings.
Daily Mail – Troll of the Month
A Mail Online article published on 26 October claimed that hate crimes in Britain are a “great hoax”, and it did so by providing no evidence, belittling the impact hate has on victims as well as the work of charities who support them. The author uses anecdotal information to argue that hate crimes are not a significant problem, and should not be classified as such, relying on the unsubstantiated claim that Britain is the most tolerant country in the world.
Savvas Kalenteridis - Troll of the Month
In a recent piece for Ponton News, former military officer Savvas Kalenteridis commented on immigration in Greece, using strong far-right narratives and tropes.
Saint Catherine's Church - QUICK FIX OF THE MONTH
The Church of Saint Catherine in Brussels covered with tape an antisemitic sentence written on an information placard, after receiving complaints from a Belgian blogger and several visitors.
RICHARD DAWKINS - TROLL OF THE MONTH
In a tweet at the end of July, Richard Dawkins, renowned evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist, called religions “virulent plagues” which propagate a “virus.”
Katie Hopkins - Troll of the Month
British media personality Katie Hopkins released a propaganda movie called “Homelands” this month. The film promotes anti-Muslim and xenophobic ideas, and pits the Jewish and Muslim communities against one another.
POPULIST BRITISH NEWS SITE POLITICALITE TEMPORARILY BANNED FROM FACEBOOK – OUSTED TROLL OF THE MONTH
Populist British news site Politicalite has officially been banned from Facebook. Politicalite has regularly been highlighted by Get The Trolls Out! with partner the Media Diversity Institute monitoring it continuously for incidents of religious hate speech.
HUNGARIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SEMJÉN ZSOLT - TROLL OF THE MONTH
The Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary was televised delivering a fear-mongering tirade against Islam on Easter Monday.