The bidt in the Bavarian State Parliament: Professor Hannah Schmid-Petri talks about hate speech online and political participation

At the third cross-party congress “FiP! – Women in Parliaments!”, around 300 politically engaged women came together in the Bavarian State Parliament on 22 March 2025 to network and strengthen the political participation of women.

At the invitation of the President of the State Parliament, Professor Hannah Schmid-Petri, bidt Director and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Passau, gave a lecture in the plenary chamber of the State Parliament. Entitled “We are stronger than hate! Strategies for dealing with online insults”, she shed light on the challenges and options for dealing with digital hate speech – a topic that is increasingly affecting women in politics in particular. The figures from the bidt study “Insults on social media: How affected are users on social media and how do they defend themselves?” show that over 80 per cent of the politicians surveyed have been exposed to insults online.

The central message of the discussion: political engagement must not be curbed by fear of hate speech. Instead, it is important to prepare, show solidarity and take a stand together. “Don’t be discouraged under any circumstances – women’s involvement in local politics is an important pillar of our democracy, and we in Bavaria are definitely stronger than hate!” Professor Schmid-Petri encouraged those present.

The congress “FiP! – Women in Parliaments!” sends out a clear signal: For more visibility, more participation and more support for women in politics – at all levels.