A Critical Discourse Analysis of Selected Radio Biafra’s Hate Speeches on Facebook

Abstract

Literature on online hate speech have conceptually analysed the term, critically evaluated arguments for or against it and diagnosed it as a legal concept. As such, the impact of hate speech on micro and macro-level relations and relational power, especially in developing countries, remains speculative. Being mindful of how discursive issues and discursive constructions inform the depiction of social power, this study analysed selected posts and comments from Radio Biafra London’s Facebook platform. The posts and comments were examined to explore the group’s perception of the Nigerian nation against the background of its clamour for secession. The study adopted Fairclough’s socio-semiotic approach to the analysis of data. Eight lead posts and fifteen feedback comments on each post were randomly selected, presented and analysed. Random selection was based on the group’s perception of national issues in relation to its secessionist ideology. The lead posts comprise both video uploads and written texts. Findings reveal six discursive issues, namely mudslinging, ethnic jingoism, marked aggression, imprecation, awful anticipation and retaliatory remark. Mudslinging dominates the discursive type. Discursive and morphological strategies deployed include metaphor, neologism and blending. In conclusion, the paper argues that the discursive practices of the Radio Biafra group are techniques for reproducing power abuse and domination, including resistance or counter-power expressed to engage perceived political dominance.