As someone who works as a security officer, I'm surprised to learn you're not familiar with the concepts of mob violence or inciting a riot. Hateful, angry words can led to escalation. The backing of an angry mob can lead to an enhanced sense of bravery and a decreased sense of accountability that often leads to violent confrontations. A bully, egged on by 4 or 5 of his peers is much more likely to throw a punch than one person acting alone. When one person starts shouting hateful slurs, it encourages others to join in the "fun". Words alone don't cause physical pain, but are often a precursor to physical violence.
She was a 16-year old high school junior at the time. Guns are not allowed on campus. She didn't provoke anything. She was just walking through the campus, on a paved path on her way home from school - taking the same route she did every day, not speaking to anyone. It started with verbal insults, taunting and gay slurs and escalated to physical violence.
I had typed a much longer, detail description of the attack, but decided not to post it out of respect for my daughter. She still doesn't like to talk about the attack. And honestly, it still makes me angry when I think about it. So, I'll leave out the details.
So yeah, words can be hurtful. They can lead to escalation when allowed to go unchecked and egged on by others. My daughter did nothing wrong, nothing to deserve this attack. She was just walking home from school minding her own business.
BNM