Spain reports higher removal of online hate speech content
Online hate speech monitoring in Spain reveals persistent discrimination and rising moderation efforts.
Spain’s Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia identified 31,003 pieces of hate speech and discriminatory content on social media in May 2026, according to its monthly monitoring report.
The Observatory, known as OBERAXE, said digital platforms removed 65% of notified content, up from 56% in April. TikTok, X and Instagram recorded the highest removal rates, while the Trusted Flagger route continued to perform better than ordinary user reporting.
Trusted Flagger notifications accounted for 53% of removed content, compared with 48% in April. Content reported through ordinary user channels reached a removal rate of 12%, up from 8% the previous month.
The report found that 73% of detected content presented targeted groups as a threat, while dehumanising and severely degrading messages increased sharply compared with April. It also recorded frequent use of aggressive language and growing reliance on images, videos, memes and coded expressions.
People from North Africa remained the main target of online hate speech, followed by African and Afro-descendant people and Roma people. Narratives linked to citizen insecurity accounted for the largest share of detected content, followed by content related to social benefits and access to public resources.
OBERAXE said continued cooperation with digital platforms is essential to improve detection, removal procedures and policies aimed at combating discrimination online.
Why does it matter?
The report shows how hate speech monitoring is becoming part of platform governance and anti-discrimination policy. Spain’s data suggest that trusted reporting channels can improve removal rates, but the scale and persistence of hostile narratives show the limits of reactive moderation. The findings also raise wider questions about transparency, platform accountability and how governments can address online hate while protecting freedom of expression.
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