A thesis on hate speech at the University of Cagliari. Among the case studies presented by the student are three posts by Roberto Vannacci, general and politician, deputy federal secretary of the League for Salvini's premiership from 2025, and member of the European Parliament.

Thesis author Simone Cherchi, Faculty of Humanities, Degree Program in Languages and Communication, supervised by Massimo Arcangeli, focuses at the beginning of his thesis on the definition of hate speech. Translated into Italian, it means hate speech or incitement to hatred. The student explains that it has always existed, but is now somehow reinforced and amplified by the internet and social media.

The author distinguishes between direct and implicit or subtle hate speech. According to Cherchi, the first example cited in the thesis falls into the latter category. Vannacci shares the news of Carola Rackete's resignation from the European Parliament. Rackete, the activist who, in command of the Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship, decided to blockade the port of Lampedusa in June 2019 to bring 42 migrants ashore, said: "We won't miss you. Now we hope that Ilaria Salis and Mimmo Lucano will follow suit." So far, everything is fair game, the author explains. There's a problem, though: the photos: "We're faced with a case of subtle hate speech. To bypass Meta's algorithms, the politician avoids direct humiliation by using photos of Carola, highlighting her hair with a close-up of her legs. This detail isn't necessary given the seemingly innocent intent of the post, but it helps reveal Vannacci's true intentions. His electorate, in fact, responds severely to the post with direct hate comments." And we move on to the hate speech of keyboard warriors: the comments contain a long series of insults against the activist. "We can therefore distinguish," the graduate student concludes, "two ways of engaging in hate speech and identifying them. Vannacci's post: subtle hate speech, a discourse that presents itself as reasonable and respectable, but which in reality normalizes discrimination. And then the comments on the post: explicit hate speech, expressed directly and with unequivocal hostility." The student then analyzes two other cases. The author, again Vannacci, is posting about Laura Boldrini, a Democratic Party MP, and an LGBT protest. A satisfied teacher explained: "Simone Cherchi," Arcangeli told ANSA, "did what each of us should do: denounce hate speech online, which has reached unprecedented levels, in ways, forms, and with the means, whether small or large, available to everyone. Simone did so courageously, identifying the root of the evil: the reckless use of social media by those, whether public figures or institutional representatives, who constantly feed their followers the victim of their choice. If a former general now an MEP, in a Facebook post, goes so far as to attack a young Senegalese student, recently appointed vice president of the Tuscany Region, claiming she obtained the position thanks to her 'black skin,' then we shouldn't be surprised if that MEP's followers react with such comments." (ANSA)

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