How does hate speech emerge, and at what point do we begin to participate in its normalisation?
- 26. aug.
- Lasīts 3 min
Updated: pirms 17 stundām
On 22 August 2026, in Zvejniekciems, at the guest house “Aizvēji”, Latvia, ARENAS researcher Rasma Pīpiķe presented the findings of the ARENAS project - Analysis of and Responses to Extremist Narratives - during the short-talk session of the Latvian Association of Young Researchers Summer School. Particular attention was devoted to how polarising and hostile language gradually emerges in the public sphere.
In her talk, “The Anatomy of Hate Speech”, Rasma Pīpiķe invited participants to view hate speech not only as an already formed and easily recognisable phenomenon, but as a process.
Because hatred does not always begin with hate.
Within the ARENAS project, media texts and the political discourse reflected in them have been analysed by examining not only what is said, but also how language is used to shape attitudes towards individuals, social groups, institutions and differing opinions.
The research findings make it possible to outline an important chain in the development of hate speech: fear, followed by “us” and “them” divisions, delegitimisation, repetition and normalisation. Each of us can think of examples familiar in the Latvian public sphere: migrants, LGBTQI+ people, ethnic minorities, asylum seekers.
First, a particular group is framed as a problem or a threat. Then the division between “us” and “them” emerges. Gradually, instead of seeing individual people, we begin to perceive one homogeneous group of “them”. As this kind of language is repeated, it slowly becomes normalised. Feelings of threat and insecurity create a desire to identify a clear cause of the problem or someone to blame. In this way, complex social reality becomes easier to divide into two categories: “us” and “them”.
In the next step, the language of the conversation itself begins to change. A person, institution or social group with whom we disagree is no longer perceived merely as a dialogue partner holding a different position. Instead, they may gradually be portrayed as incompetent, undesirable, dangerous or even as a threat to “us”.
When this kind of language is repeated often enough in political communication, in the media and in everyday conversations, something significant happens: it becomes normal.
What initially seemed too harsh or unacceptable provokes a weaker reaction the next time. After some time, we may no longer even notice it.
This is precisely why the role of each of us is important.
Not every sharp political statement is hate speech. Not every clumsy metaphor or dismissive remark is extremism. However, seemingly harmless expressions can become part of a broader process if we begin to accept them as a normal form of political communication.
We are not merely observers in this process.
When we accept, repeat and normalise statements made by politicians or other public figures that may initially appear harmless, we also take part in shifting the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable public language.
Therefore, the question is not only:
“Is this already hate speech?”
It is equally important to ask:
“What does this kind of language do to our ability to talk to one another?”
We thank the Latvian Association of Young Researchers for the opportunity to address young researchers from different fields and to reflect together on how language shapes our perceptions of others.
In an interdisciplinary audience, this discussion is particularly meaningful, because the development of hate speech is not only a question for researchers of politics or communication. Each of us participates in shaping public language, including through what we choose to accept as normal. Perhaps the most dangerous language is not the language that shocks us immediately. The most dangerous language may be the one we gradually stop noticing.
The project consortium includes the following organisations: lead partner CY Cergy Paris Université (France), Institute of Contemporary History (Slovenia), Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), Institute of Political and Social Sciences (Spain), University of Helsinki (Finland), CNRS (France), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Germany), Università degli studi di Genova (Italy), University of Cyprus (Cyprus), the association “Creative Ideas” (Latvia), Momentum Ecate + Innovate (Ireland), Water On Mars (Italy), and OXFAM Intermon Foundation (Spain).
The project is implemented over a four-year period, from 1 May 2023 to 30 April 2027, and has received funding from the European Union’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe under grant agreement No. 101094731.
Published: 26th August, 2026
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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