The Faculty of Political Science and Sociology at the University of Granada hosted the final conference of the European project Hatedemics last Thursday, March 26. After two years of international cooperation, the event served to present technological tools and innovative pedagogical strategies designed to shield democratic societies against the growing threat of harmful online content.
The inaugural session—moderated by Sara Afendi, project coordinator at ALDA—highlighted Granada’s role as a bridge for dialogue. Antonio Sánchez Ortega, Executive Secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation, emphasized the project’s relevance for social cohesion:
“One of the main dangers to democracy is the hatred of speech and disinformation. This project is fully aligned with our goals of fostering collaboration between the two shores of the Mediterranean, the European world, and the Arab world,” stated Sánchez Ortega, who further stressed that Hatedemics is, above all, “a tool for democratic defense that connects research with public action.”
Along the same lines, the Vice Dean of the Faculty, Guadalupe Martínez Fuentes, warned that affective polarization is the ideal breeding ground for hate, while Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy), described the current digital landscape as a “perfect storm” eroding the foundations of institutional trust.
The session featured a special intervention by Martin Sacleux (via online), Policy Officer at the European Commission (DG Justice), who reaffirmed the Union’s support through the CERV program (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values): “Regulation is not enough; success depends on empowering civil society with practical tools and training like those we are presenting today.”
From the Lab to Social Action
One of the key moments was the panel “The Hatedemics Trajectory: From Research to Action,” moderated by the Director of Public Research at the CENTRA Foundation, Tristán Pertíñez Blasco. In this space, experts such as Javier Ruipérez Canales (Director of Research and International Projects at the Euro-Arab Foundation and Director of Strategic Communication at the European Commission’s EU Knowledge Hub), Marco Guerini (Fondazione Bruno Kessler and project coordinator), and Arije Antinori (Sapienza Università di Roma) debated the need to adapt social research methodologies to the breakneck pace of the digital ecosystem. The speakers agreed that online polarization and social reality are communicating vessels that require coordinated responses.
Another strategic axis of the day was the debate on “Building a Safer Digital Public Sphere,” a panel that analyzed global challenges in network security and extremism prevention. The panel included international leading voices such as Zahed Amanullah from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), Andrew Staniforth from SAHER (Europe), Lucía Alonso, researcher at the Euro-Arab Foundation, and Francesca Capoccia from FACTA.
The speakers agreed that digital security is not just a technological challenge, but a democratic imperative. During the session, it was emphasized that, given the sophistication of hate campaigns, it is essential to strengthen civil society resilience, protect the work of journalists, and provide institutions with rapid response capabilities that protect fundamental rights without compromising freedom of expression.
The final conference also focused on the presentation of the Hatedemics Platform, an AI-based solution designed to detect and neutralize hate narratives. The unveiling of this tool—currently in the pilot phase—featured Eladia Illescas, Deputy Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at CENTRA, alongside European partners such as Maryna Manchenko (CESIE), Jan Dąbkowski (CEO), Racheal Scicluna (SOS MALTA), Helena Bonaldi (FBK), and Vivian Rangel (Maldita.es), moderated by José Luis Salido Medina (Euro-Arab Foundation).
A Consortium of European Impact
The day concluded with a recognition of the efforts of the consortium led by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, which includes key partners such as the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, the Center for Andalusian Studies (CENTRA), Maldita.es, ALDA, and various organizations from Poland, Italy, and Malta.
The conclusion of Hatedemics in Granada does not mark an end, but rather the beginning of a new stage of collaboration to integrate new voices and perspectives in the defense of a safer and more resilient digital public sphere.
