Language, Media and the Weaponisation of Hate. By Way of Introduction

n this paper, Lawson, Balirano, and Scotto di Carlo examine the sociopolitical and discursive forces underpinning the rise and normalization of hate speech in the Anglophone public sphere. Framed by Hannah Arendt’s notion of “negative solidarity,” the article explores how contemporary crises—ranging from pandemics to geopolitical conflict and digital disinformation—have fostered a climate in which hate becomes a tool of ideological mobilisation. The authors highlight the pivotal role of digital media platforms in transforming hate speech into a complex, multimodal, and algorithmically driven phenomenon that blurs the boundaries between online expression and offline violence. The article calls for an urgent interdisciplinary response to the weaponisation of language, underlining the need for context-sensitive legal definitions, media responsibility, and critical linguistic engagement.