Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Race and ethnicity main triggers of online abuse: report

by LAUREN CODLING

A PERSON’S race or ethnicity is most likely to provoke online hate, a new study has shown, as a leading academic warned virtual abuse can severely affect a victim’s “offline world”.


The new report, led by the University of East London (UEL) and released last month, revealed that nearly half of adult internet users claimed to have been exposed to abusive content in the past year.

It also found that race or ethnicity is the characteristic most targeted by online trolls, followed by sexual orientation, religion, disability and transgender status.

Professor Julia Davidson, the lead investigator and professor of criminology at UEL, spoke to Eastern Eye about some of the report’s key findings.

Admitting she was not surprised that race was most likely to provoke online hate, Davidson noted that statistics are probably higher than documented.

According to official police statistics included in the report, around two per cent of hate crimes have an online element. However, Davidson believes the figure could be much higher as many

victims do not report the abuse.

“Victims are usually unwilling to come forward and report online hate,” the academic explained. “Therefore, we have an underestimate relating to the amount of online hate, particularly which is racially motivated, that is out there."

Research also showed that adult victims of online abuse usually suffered a notable negative impact on their health.

Cyberstalking, for instance, was shown to cause victims extreme anxiety resulting in them substantially changing aspects of their lives. It could also significantly affect individuals who

have existing mental health problems, potentially exacerbating their illness. An extreme case found that some victims were so concerned about the level of abuse they had experienced

that they became reluctant to leave their home.

Davidson stressed the point that online hate did not just “stay on the internet” – it could harm their real-life environment.

“Although the harm may be perpetrated on the internet, it certainly moves in their offline world as well,” she explained. A respondent to research admitted that they became frightened the abusers would confront them in real life.

“They were so nasty and horrible towards me that I did feel fearful to the point I thought that they would turn up at my house and hurt me and my family because they knew who I was

and where I lived,” they said.

Spikes in both offline and online hate crime were also revealed to correlate with high-profile ‘trigger incidents’ such as terrorist attacks.

For instance, following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in 2013, where he was killed by two British-Muslim men, reports of online anti-Muslim abuse surged.

It also pointed out that participants “visibly identifiable” as Muslim appeared to be more vulnerable to abuse.

One participant, who wished to remain anonymous, admitted they received more abuse when their public pictures showed them wearing traditional Muslim clothing.

“I have a public Twitter account to promote my work and I get regular abuse on that,” they said. “I have my picture on it, so they know I am Muslim, (but) I did not get any online or offline abuse at all before wearing the hijab.”

Another respondent said the Islamophobic abuse had made “(them) become insular, lack confidence (and feel that) I am not accepted”.

The report also found that social media is the most common platform for online harassment. Although popular sites such as Twitter and Instagram have made recent pledges to combat online abuse, Davidson still believes more needs to be done.

And she stressed that although regulation on social media needs to be addressed, her main point of interest lies in how online hate can affect adults.

“One of the key issues that we have to focus on is how pervasive it can be in terms of the impact it has on the victim,” she said.

“We really have to understand how this can affect people’s lives and make them not want to use the internet, make them fearful and can affect existing problems.

“For me, it is about understanding the impact.”

More For You

Spain earthquakes

Almería airport sustained damage in its departures lounge

CSmonitor

Spain earthquakes: What we know about the 5.4-magnitude tremor that shook tourist regions

Highlights:

  • A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Almería, southern Spain, at 7.13 am on Monday
  • The tremor was felt in over 50 towns, including tourist destinations like Malaga
  • No injuries have been reported, but building damage occurred in airports and showrooms
  • The quake follows a weekend of floods and severe weather in Spain
  • No UK Foreign Office travel warnings have been issued, but travellers are advised to check local alerts

Southern Spain was rocked by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake on the morning of Monda,y 14 July, with tremors felt across several provinces, including popular tourist destinations.

The earthquake struck at 7.13 am off the coast of Almería, nearly two miles below sea level, according to Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN). Despite its intensity, there have been no reported injuries, although some structural damage has occurred.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India chief says crash report opens new questions, no conclusions yet

A PRELIMINARY report into last month's Air India plane crash that killed 260 people has raised further questions, and the investigation is still ongoing, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a memo to staff on Monday.

The initial report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday, pointed to confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson

Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson turn heads with intense PDA before Trump’s Club World Cup appearance

Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson flaunt PDA ahead of FIFA Club World Cup final​

Highlights:

  • Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson were seen getting intimate at Teterboro Airport before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup final.
  • The couple matched in white shirts and embraced publicly while awaiting President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
  • Anderson defended Don Jr online earlier this year after a New York Magazine article criticised him.
  • Trump Jr’s ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle was recently appointed US Ambassador to Greece, while ex-wife Vanessa is now dating Tiger Woods.

Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend Bettina Anderson turned heads over the weekend with an unabashed public display of affection on the tarmac in Teterboro, New Jersey, just before President Trump and Melania Trump landed ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final. The couple, who have been together since mid-2024, looked inseparable as they hugged, kissed, and held hands openly, seemingly unconcerned by the presence of others or nearby cameras.

 Donald Trump Jr and girlfriend Bettina Anderson All eyes on Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson as their PDA grabs attention before Trump’s arrivalGetty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump-Getty

Trump will become the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

King Charles to host Donald Trump for state visit in September

KING CHARLES will host US president Donald Trump in September for a second state visit to Britain, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday.

The visit is scheduled to take place from 17 to 19 September.

Keep ReadingShow less
southend london plane crash

A plume of black smoke rises from an area near the runway after a small plane crash, as seen from inside a building at London Southend Airport on July 13, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Southend Airport closed after plane crash

LONDON Southend Airport in Essex has been closed until further notice after a small plane crashed at the airport on England’s south-east coast on Sunday, according to police.

In a post on X, London Southend Airport said all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while emergency services, police, and air accident investigators are at the scene.

Keep ReadingShow less