The United Nations Secretary General has formally launched a strategy and plan of action on hate speech. The launch comes after a disturbing groundswell of intolerance, racism and xenophobia and hate-based violence targeting worshippers of many faiths, most notably attacks on churches in Sri Lanka and Burkina Faso, mosques in New Zealand and synagogues in the United States to mention a few. The UN Strategy and Plan of Action is billed as an ambitious programme to coordinate efforts across the UN system to identify, prevent and confront hate speech.