{"id":3618,"date":"2026-01-12T10:37:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T10:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T09:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:52:07","slug":"what-are-they","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/en\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/","title":{"rendered":"What are they?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are they?<\/h1><\/div>

What are they?<\/h1><\/div>

Discrimination, Crimes, and Hate Speech<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Discrimination<\/h3><\/div>

Discrimination consists of an act or omission that treats a person or group of people differently on the basis of their characteristics and\/or race, color, sex, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other factor or characteristic\u2014with the aim of limiting or denying their rights, freedoms, and guarantees.<\/p>\n

It is important to understand that, as long as discrimination exists, positive discrimination may be necessary: measures specifically targeted at minorities, with the aim of correcting inequalities and ensuring that they can exercise and enjoy their rights on an equal footing. Positive discrimination is a tool for achieving equity, not an end in itself; ideally, in a truly egalitarian society, it would no longer be necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Discrimination can take many forms, which are generally classified as direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Direct Discrimination<\/span><\/a><\/h3><\/div>
\n

occurs when one person is treated less favorably than another in an identical situation, based on identity characteristics. It is generally an explicit form of discrimination, and its discriminatory motive is usually quite clear. Example: Refusing to rent to someone because they are not a Portuguese citizen.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Indirect discrimination<\/span><\/a><\/h3><\/div>
\n

this occurs when a seemingly neutral rule, practice, policy, or criterion places people from a particular group at a particular disadvantage compared to others. Even if there is no intention to discriminate, the practical effects of the measure end up being discriminatory. Example: Requiring fluency in a particular language for a position where such a requirement is unnecessary, which may exclude foreign candidates.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Harassment<\/span><\/a><\/h3><\/div>
whenever behavior occurs that is related to the characteristics of a person or group of people, with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a specific person or group of people and of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, destabilizing, or offensive environment.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Hate Crimes<\/h3><\/div>

There is no single, universal definition of a hate crime; its academic conceptualization has evolved, and legal definitions (where they exist) are variable and limited.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, certain acts motivated by prejudice or hatred constitute a crime under the legal system of the jurisdiction where they occurred; therefore, we can define hate crimes as:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

\n

\u201cAny criminal act, particularly against people or property, in which the victims or the target of the crime are selected because of their actual or perceived connection, ties, affiliation, support, or association\u2014whether real or alleged\u2014with a particular group\u201d<\/p>\n

(OSCE\/ODHIR, 2006).<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

(Sheffield, 1995).<\/p>\n

In this context, we can consider that any crime committed for discriminatory reasons based on the victim\u2019s skin color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, illness, disability, or any other characteristic is a hate crime. It may also be considered a hate crime when the acts are committed against people who defend the rights of or work to support the aforementioned individuals.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Hate Speech<\/h3><\/div>

Any negative expression regarding a group or an individual that spreads, incites, promotes, or justifies hatred, hostility, or violence against a person or group based on their perceived identity and\/or characteristics (ethnic origin, skin color, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, as well as human rights defenders and those who support the defense of these groups\u2019 rights and the promotion of democratic values). These expressions take the form of verbal, written, and\/or symbolic communication and are intended to discriminate, exclude, dehumanize, and incite violence.<\/p>\n

Currently, due to the ease and speed of dissemination, the possibility of anonymity, and the lack of regulation, the most common medium for spreading hate speech is the internet, where it frequently appears on social media, messaging apps, forums and online communities, videos, live streams, and podcasts.
\nHate speech may or may not constitute a crime, depending on the context in which it was uttered and the country\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3597,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3618","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are they? - Cooperhate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A discrimina\u00e7\u00e3o, os crimes de \u00f3dio e o discurso de \u00f3dio em Portugal s\u00e3o regulados por enquadramentos legais distintos, com impacto direto na prote\u00e7\u00e3o dos direitos fundamentais.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/en\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discrimina\u00e7\u00e3o, Crimes de \u00f3dio e Discurso de \u00f3dio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A discrimina\u00e7\u00e3o, os crimes de \u00f3dio e o discurso de \u00f3dio em Portugal s\u00e3o regulados por enquadramentos legais distintos, com impacto direto na prote\u00e7\u00e3o dos direitos fundamentais.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/en\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cooperhate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61585301610694\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T09:52:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/b-cooperhate-discurso-odio-1024x290.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"45 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/en\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cooperhate.eu\/en\/hate-crimes-in-portugal\/what-are-they\/\",\"name\":\"What are they? 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