On 1 June, the UN in Libya expressed concern over ‘the renewed spread of misinformation, disinformation, and inflammatory rhetoric on social media platforms in Libya, including content targeting individuals or specific groups. Such narratives risk fuelling tension, mistrust, discrimination, and violence, undermining the dignity, safety and well-being of people across Libya.’ The UN said that at a time when Libya continues to face complex political, economic, and social challenges, all actors have a shared responsibility to refrain from rhetoric that may incite hatred, discrimination, or violence. It called upon the competent national authorities to take appropriate measures to address acts of incitement and the dissemination of harmful false information that may threaten public order, social cohesion, or the rights and dignity of individuals.
The National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL) echoed this statement, more explicitly acknowledging that this hatred campaign is directed against migrants, expressing grave concern about the campaigns inciting violence and hatred on social media platforms against foreign residents and migrants, and the dissemination of false, misleading, and fabricated information by some bloggers, public figures, and social media pages. It said this constitutes an escalation and incitement against arrivals and migrants from neighboring countries, and poses risks to their lives, security, and personal and psychological well-being. It also condemned the actions of leaders of the so-called ‘anti-resettlement movement,’ which exploits the situation to incite chaos, destabilize security and stability, sow confusion, and manipulate the right to peaceful protest to incite violence, hatred, and racism.