By Emperor Bailor Jalloh - PV Freetown Bureau Chief
As Hate Speech has raised eye brows and brought significant issues to a sharper focus in Sierra Leone, a tiny and beleaguered nation in West Africa, a Sierra Leonean Leadership and Advocacy Consultant in Freetown Brima Abdulai Sheriff (photo) has vehemently condemned the spate of ’Hate Speech’, saying it is not good for the country amid the robust fight against the Novel Covid- 19 pandemic with a State of Emergency in existence.
Consultant Brima Abdulai Sheriff a Human Rights Activist who also served as Chairman/Commissioner of Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone and Country Director of Amnesty International Sierra Leone Chapter made this condemnation in an exclusive interview with this medium over the weekend in his PWD area residence ,Kissy,east of Freetown.
Responding to a question about the distinction between ’ Free Speech and Hate Speech ’ Consultant Sheriff stated that ’ Free Speech ’ goes with responsibility to avoid infringement of the rights of others to promote peaceful co- existence while ’Hate Speech’ is a contrary act that has the potential to breach the peace and stability.
He further asserted that ’ Hate Speech’ is being propagated by people who are politically charged from the main opposition All People’s Congress ( APC) and the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP). Most of them he said are educated people that cascaded to community levels.
However, responding to the question about the way forward, he said that the new National Council for Civic Education and Development headed by Kalilu Ibrahim Totangi should take the lead in national civic education programmes involving key stakeholders including traditional leaders and religious leaders,the media, civil society and the movie industry.
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