During the friendly football match between Spain and Egypt in the spring of 2026, episodes of verbal mobbing occurred, with racist and Islamophobic insults shouted from the stands at players perceived to be Muslim.
This incident cannot be understood as an isolated event, but rather as a symptom of a broader social climate in which certain prejudices are expressed with increasing openness. It is especially contradictory that such attacks occur even when the Spanish national team itself includes Muslim players of undeniable talent, such as Lamine Yamal. This highlights that the rejection is not based on reality, but on stereotypical constructions and hate-driven narratives. The normalization of Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination not only harms those directly affected, but also damages democratic society as a whole, reinforcing narratives that contribute to the social legitimization of extremist positions.
In this context, it is essential to remember that building peace is not solely the responsibility of institutions or large international agreements, but a daily responsibility of every individual. As suggested in Dialogic Society, peace is constructed—or destroyed—through our everyday interactions. Although many people claim to feel powerless in the face of global conflicts such as wars, they are aware that they can act within the spaces closest to their daily lives. The key question is why, despite this awareness, they do not always do so. Social inertia, fear of taking a stand, or the normalization of hate speech may partly explain this passivity, but they do not justify it. In this regard, research such as that conducted by E. Chenoweth and M.J. Stephan in the book Why Civil Resistance Works, which analyzed 323 campaigns throughout the 20th century, shows that nonviolent strategies have been, in the long term, significantly more effective than violent ones in achieving political and social goals.
Therefore, in addition to analyzing and denouncing the rise of hate speech, it is essential to highlight those everyday experiences that are successfully overcoming it and fostering coexistence. This idea is not new: Jane Addams, in her work Peace and Bread in Time of War, already argued that social transformation should be based on nonviolent action and cooperation—principles that also guided the creation of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Many efforts to combat universal violence, such as wars, have focused on peace education; however, one of the main findings is that children learn more from what they see than from what they are told. Promoting a culture of peace necessarily involves eradicating violence from our daily relationships. Only then can we aspire to transform larger-scale violence: universal peace begins with the concrete practice of Everyday Peace.
Associate Proffessor in Sociology at the University of Barcelona.
Member of the Advisory Committee on Religious Diversity of the Generalitat de Catalunya.