Lesson 3.2: From Hostility to Harm: Violence and Intimidation

5. Fear, exhaustion, and withdrawal

Across contexts, people describe violence as cumulative, anticipatory, and relational. It affects not only individuals but also organisations, public institutions, and the collective life of communities. The fear of attack — and the expectation of attack — becomes a mechanism of governance in itself. The consequences are multiple:

Fear and hypervigilance: “an underlying feeling of being on edge.” (expression used by the participants in the RESIST Irish case-study, p.l4)
Self-censorship: ”I silence myself.” (GERINT08, Germany Report, p. 13)
Withdrawal from activism: ”I need my life back.” (IRLFG6.2, Ireland Report, p. 14)
Loss of institutional trust: participants in Switzerland and France described police and universities as indifferent

Reflect

How does constant exposure to hate shape people’s personal and professional lives?
When fear becomes internalized, what forms of resistance remain possible?
How can digital safety and emotional care be understood as political acts?