# Weaponized racism · Crisis Trends 2025 · Zorraquino
> Racism is used as a tool of social control, adapting to new narratives to sustain historical inequalities.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/weaponized-racism

![Weaponized racism: Racism is used as a tool of social control, adapting to new narratives to sustain historical inequalities.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0w1142l8/production/516ecb70a5a34f2b1b49afc392c0760c24385a57-1920x1080.webp/weaponized-racism-racism-is-used-as-a-tool-of-social-control-adapting-to-new.webp?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format&q=85)

Trend 09

# Weaponized racism

1. [Crisis Trends 2025Home](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025)
2. [Trend 01Climate emergency](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/climate-emergency)
3. [Trend 02Voracious capitalism](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/voracious-capitalism)
4. [Trend 03Elitist impunity](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/elitist-impunity)
5. [Trend 04Widespread corruption](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/widespread-corruption)
6. [Trend 05Living crunch](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/living-crunch)
7. [Trend 06Prolonged conflict](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/prolonged-conflict)
8. [Trend 07Authoritarian resurgence](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/authoritarian-resurgence)
9. [Trend 08Rights rollback](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/rights-rollback)
10. [Trend 09Weaponized racism](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/weaponized-racism)
11. [Trend 10Silent genocide](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/silent-genocide)

Weaponized racism

Racism is used as a tool of social control, adapting to new narratives to sustain historical inequalities.

Trend axes

- Social apartheid
- Hate amplification
- Xenophobic framing
- Race-based exclusion

Some figures

99%

Percentage of estate agencies that accepted discriminatory practices against foreigners, according to a report by Provivienda and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

1/3

Proportion of Roma people who suffered racism in Spain in the last year, according to a Ministry of Equality study; they are the group that reports it least, for lack of trust.

54,000

Number of pieces of hate speech content detected by the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia in its June 2025 monthly bulletin, 12% more than the previous month.

1,955

Hate crimes committed in Spain in 2024, 44% of them motivated by racism and xenophobia, according to a Ministry of the Interior report.

## The business of hate speech

In recent years, Spain has seen a worrying rise in structural racism, which is no longer a latent prejudice but is displayed with growing aggression in public space. This phenomenon is fuelled by hate speech that, under the rhetoric of security, cultural defence or migration control, gains legitimacy and becomes normal in political and media debate.

Far from being marginal, this racism has become a tool used by some parties to channel social discontent, sharpening polarisation and consolidating the idea that diversity is a threat. Campaigns linking immigration with crime, the singling out of whole communities (from the Roma people to people of North African origin) and tolerance of verbal and physical attacks show how inequalities and stigma are reinforced.

The dehumanisation of immigrants, reduced to figures, threats or ideological caricatures, opens the door to measures that cut fundamental rights: limits on access to housing and employment, bans on cultural or religious expression, or ethnic profiling by the police that entrenches exclusion. In this context, racism stops being a social residue and becomes a mechanism of control.

The risk is that racist violence comes not only from extremist individuals, but also from institutions that, by action or omission, allow these discourses to thrive. When political leaders repeat messages associating diversity with risk, or the seriousness of xenophobic attacks is played down, a climate is legitimised in which hatred is seen as acceptable. The calculated use of racism as a strategy of power thus not only erodes social cohesion, but feeds an ever deeper rift.

## Cases

01 / 05

## More on the trend

### References

- [El odio en redes se disparó durante la crisis de Torre Pacheco (y las plataformas no estuvieron a la altura)](https://elpais.com/expres/2025-08-05/el-odio-en-redes-se-disparo-durante-la-crisis-de-torre-pacheco-y-las-plataformas-no-estuvieron-a-la-altura.html)
- [Bañistas se lanzan a la carrera en una playa de Granada para detener a migrantes llegados en una lancha: "Qué bajeza moral"](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/politica/banistas-lanzan-carrera-playa-granada-detener-migrantes-llegados-lancha-que-bajeza-moral.html)
- [“Cacerías de inmigrantes”: ¿qué está ocurriendo en Torre-Pacheco y cuál es el origen de los altercados racistas en España?](https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/07/16/espana/cacerias-inmigrantes-torre-pacheco-origen-altercados-racistas-espana-orix)
- [Ya hay condena para las cuatro ultras que colgaron un muñeco de Vinícius en un puente de Valdebebas](https://www.antena3.com/noticias/deportes/futbol/hay-condena-cuatro-ultras-que-colgaron-muneco-vinicius-puente-valdebebas%5F20250616685037c9a6d1472815e9b6e4.html)
- [El mercado del alquiler se ceba con los inmigrantes: el 99% de las inmobiliarias acepta cláusulas discriminatorias](https://elpais.com/economia/2025-03-25/el-mercado-del-alquiler-se-ceba-con-los-inmigrantes-el-99-de-las-inmobiliarias-acepta-clausulas-discriminatorias.html)
- ["¿Qué Almería quieres?": el polémico cartel de Vox en El Ejido (Almería) con tintes racistas](https://www.lasexta.com/programas/mas-vale-tarde/que-almeria-quieres-polemico-cartel-vox-ejido-almeria-tintes-racistas%5F20250731688b95269db33905c4de105d.html)
- [Los compradores con nombre árabe o chino son discriminados en aplicaciones de productos de segunda mano](https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2025-07-31/los-compradores-con-nombre-arabe-o-chino-son-discriminados-en-aplicaciones-de-productos-de-segunda-mano.html)
- [Un estudio de la UPF revela que existe discriminación según el origen étnico en la app de compra-venta de segunda mano líder en España, sobre todo a la hora de comprar](https://www.upf.edu/es/web/focus/w/estudio-upf-revela-existe-discriminacion-segun-origen-etnico-app-compra-venta-segunda-mano-lider-espana-sobre-todo-hora-comprar)
- [Las personas gitanas, las que menos denuncian el racismo aunque una de cada tres lo ha sufrido durante el último año](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20250408/personas-gitanas-menos-denuncian-racismo-sufrido-ultimo-ano/16525716.shtml)
- [Migraciones detecta más de 54.000 contenidos racistas en redes en junio y urge a una mayor acción de las plataformas](https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/inclusion/paginas/2025/170725-racismo-observatorio-redes.aspx)
- [Ante el racismo urge alzar la voz por una sociedad acogedora](https://www.es.amnesty.org/en-que-estamos/blog/historia/articulo/racismo-personas-migrantes/)
- [La brutalidad xenófoba ultra pulveriza sus límites](https://elpais.com/espana/2025-07-13/la-brutalidad-xenofoba-ultra-pulveriza-sus-limites.html)
- [¿Es España un país racista?](https://theconversation.com/es-espana-un-pais-racista-240874)
- [El precio de deshumanizar a los inmigrantes](https://elpais.com/opinion/2025-08-08/el-precio-de-deshumanizar-a-los-inmigrantes.html)
- [El racismo y la xenofobia están detrás del 44% de los delitos de odio](https://elpais.com/espana/2025-07-18/el-racismo-y-la-xenofobia-estan-detras-del-44-de-los-delitos-de-odio.html)
- [Lluvia de críticas a una influencer deportista por el desafío de correr por «barrios chungos» de Barcelona](https://www.elcorreo.com/gente-estilo/lluvia-criticas-influencer-deportista-desafio-correr-barrios-20250805175903-nt.html)

Pages 86–95 of the report

[![Silent genocide: The systematic elimination of populations is normalised under pretexts of self-defence and exceptionality, and their voices are silenced by international complicity.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0w1142l8/production/066cee39e51cc01bc7eff74732c43e77aeb087b1-1175x661.webp/silent-genocide-the-systematic-elimination-of-populations-is-normalised-under.webp?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format&q=85)](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/silent-genocide)

Next trend · 10

[Silent genocide](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/trends/crisis-trends-2025/silent-genocide)