Throughout the month of February, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month we uncovered ethnic discrimination, religious hate speech and homophobia across the Western Balkan region.

Antisemitism in North Macedonia

Recently, in an article published by libertas.mk, a headline read “38-year-old woman from Ohrid with the message of hate ‘burn the hotel with Jews in it’ could face 1 to 5 years in prison”.

This headline itself was a reference to an incident a few weeks ago where approximately 50 members of the Jewish religious group “Lev Tahor” arrived in North Macedonia. Lev Tahor are a religious group which follow a fundamentalist form of Judaism and adheres to its own interpretations of Jewish law.

The first report on the group of individuals was whilst they were residing in the town of Kumanovo, about 30km from Skopje. Since the moment of their arrival in the country there has been a number of reports and media headlines regarding their activities. The group also faced hard backlash from some social media users who said that they were coming into the country to “brainwash them” and “kidnap their children” – strong antisemitic and false tropes which spread hateful narratives and discrimination.

A few days ago, the group relocated from Kumanovo to Ohrid where they also faced backlash from local citizens, who even turned to the streets for a peaceful protest claiming that they “wont’ let this slide”. One social media user, a 38-year-old woman, called for the burning of the hotel where the members of Lev Tahor are currently residing. She even made threats of burning the hotel “with those Jews along with it”.

The places and areas where Lev Tahor are currently visiting are well-known for the deeply Christian religious communities who are opposed to newcomers. Having “others” inside their community and territory is likely to lead to fear and prejudice that the balance of the community will fall out of place. According to some interpretations, the introduction of new religious groups within the region may result in negative response from the local population in a need to protect their long lasting ‘traditions’.

However, such claims and fears are apparently not supported by any verifiable information or evidence that any of the members of Lev Tahor are in the country to do anything else but live peacefully.

Such comments and narratives being spread and upheld within society can result in strong divides along religious lines and can even encourage violent and antisocial behaviour towards those who do not fall under the majority in the region.

Ethnic discrimination in Serbia, Albania and Montenegro

In Serbia, the daily Danas published a column written by Marko Vidojković with highly negative and discriminatory language used against Roma people which was later removed. The author of the article presented Rome people as a homogenous group claiming that “the Roma tradition is to use narcotics and to beg for money”. Vidojković additionally stigmatised and degraded the Roma community by using derogatory comments and stereotypes.

Within Serbia, Roma people face systemic discrimination and stigmatisation while hate crimes against them are not covered by the media or if they are, they are part of official statistics about hate crime towards Roma. By publishing such columns and articles, Danas has helped to maintain and reproduce such hateful narratives and discriminatory stereotypes towards the Roma population.

Following the incident, Danas editorial office decided to remove Marko Vidojković column following the reactions of a number of stakeholders: a request by the Roma CSO Opre Roma Serbia, reactions from the Commissioner for Protection of Equality,  the Initiative for Economic and Social Rights ‘A11’ and the president of the Roma Party Srdjan šajn. The newspaper additionally offered an apology on behalf of the Danas editorial board and the reaction of Marko Vidojković which was highly inappropriate.

In Albania, the news website Joq-albania published aa article with the headline “Job announcement in Elbasan: We’re looking for a cleaner, not coloured!”

The way that the announcement, which was from a bar in the city of Elbasan, was framed alluded that  the job opportunity was not for the Roma and Egyptian communities of the city. This headline received much backlash as a result. Outlet JOQ Albania was one of the first ones to report the incident, reposting a photo of the announcement without context on Instagram thereby, prompting a wave of hateful comments and statements which were displayed as humorous in the comment section of the post which appears to have been taken down now.

Despite this, it is interesting and important to note that the article which appeared on JOQ framed and described the incident correctly, further discussing and addressing discrimination in Albania, especially against the Roma and Egyptian communities. Nevertheless, the clickbait headline is extremely problematic and both racist and discriminatory.

The Commissioner for Protection Against Discrimination reacted to the incident, stating that an investigation would be underway and the bar owner will be prosecuted if necessary. Furthermore, the Roma and Egyptian communities in Elbasan took to the streets to protest against this act of discrimination and this was widely and positively reported.  

Recently a similar, positive, example of media acting against hate speech has been noted in Albania. The media indeed can have an important role in preventing the spread of prejudice and discrimination within society.

In Montenegro, on the news website cdm.me a headline read “Bojan Kuburović was taken into police custody, he denies that he is the author of the disputed post on Facebook”. This headline was in reference to a recent incident on Facebook. The user Bojan Kuburović was taken into police custody in reaction to his Facebook post in which he praised Russia’s attack on Ukraine. His post read the following “And my grandfather was at Macedonian front (Solunac / Solunski front)! Well done, Putin, hit the Ukrainian Ustashas and women and children and throw everybody off the bridge! This is how the terrorists should be treated! We will do the same with Montenegrins. Every Serbian house in Montenegro has two arsenals”.

This post is extremely problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly, by making reference to the current war between Ukraine and Russia which is a highly sensitive and upsetting issue. Secondly, the comment and comparison made between the current events in Ukraine to that in Montenegro and claim of Serbians overthrowing the Montenegrin population is extremely harmful and can easily fuel conflicts. Such statements further foster tensions amongst different ethnic communities within the country, undermining cohesion and harmony.

Homophobia in Kosovo

Members of the Kosovo Assembly will vote for a new Civil Code Draft that specifies and addresses, among other things, same-sex marriage. This part of the Law is opposed by the largest number of Kosovo citizens as well as officials. In addition to a number of deputies, Ali Sefaj, a representative of civil service union and an official of the Government of Kosovo further reacted to this topic on his Facebook page. He called on other MPs not to vote for the Draft New Civil Code, using hate speech and inflammatory comments in his post.

Several negative and homophobic posts have been spread online through Facebook calling the public to “say no to the Civil Code which legitimised same-sex marriage and endangers the family and the nation, in the name of God and the nation”.  Another comment read “you cannot be a homosexual and a patriot. Either you are with Albanians, religion and tradition morals and humanity of you are their enemy”.  Duda Balje, President of the Assembly’s Commission for Human Rights in the Assembly of Kosovo, wrote on her Facebook profile that she would not vote for this Code “because she cannot go against her religion and against the family values in which she grew up”.

Although the Constitution of Kosovo supports same sex marriages, there is no explicit law to address it. In order to harmonise the issue with the Constitution, the Government of Kosovo has initiated a new Draft Civil Code. However, the traditional society of Kosovo is mostly in opposition of same-sex marriages, believing that it will negatively affect  ‘traditional’ values.

These stands are reflected in very negative and at time quite hateful comments, which further fuel homophobic narratives and attitudes, whilst equally undermining the equal rights of individuals.

Anti-migrant rhetoric in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The website Antimigrant.ba is an extremely problematic platform which reports daily on migrants within Bosnia and Herzegovina in an unprofessional and offensive manner. In its recent text, the portal tried to draw attention to the presence of migrants within the country by making a direct comparison to the livelihood of internally displaced citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The website and article spread narratives which spread hostility and negative stereotypes in regard to migrants and refugees in the country and the wider region.

The title read “Milorad Gogić: migrants in Lipa got what the returnees still dream of in an instant” claiming that returnee Gogić has, since returning to his village of Dubovsko with his wife, has been living a life full of returnee problems, while at the same time migrants have everything they want. The title and article itself made a dangerous and unfounded comparison between the care and treatment of returnees and migrants from other parts of the world.

Although it is true that a large number of returnees in BiH do not have adequate living conditions, it is not the fault of the migrants but rather the level of corruption at government level. By posting such stories and headlines, Antimigrant.ba fuels hatred and tension within the country with negative attitudes towards migrants whilst simultaneously driving away attention from the actual issue at hand; government corruption. Rather than creating tensions, the focus of the media should be on the government and systemic mistreatment of individuals.

The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate on the internet based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region.

This month’s Troll is TV Prva, a television network in Serbia with a national frequency which created a platform for the discussion in regards to abortion rights. However, the debate included extremely sexist and misogynistic comments.

TV Prva is a Serbian commercial television network with national coverage. At the beginning of February, during their morning show – Jutro – there was a discussion around the topic of abortion and whether or not abortion was indeed a human right. The two guests who were invited onto the show to discuss this topic were Jelena Riznić from Women’s solidarity and Miloš Stojković, a theologian.

During the discussion Stojković made several sexist comments about women and their right to abort. Among other comments, he said:   “God gave a woman the opportunity to give life and she is an egotist…because, imagine you wanted to enjoy physical pleasure and after that you kill. You don’t have the right to kill”.

This comment is extremely problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a serious accusation towards women and their decision and personal choice to have an abortion. This comment creates a narrative which  criticises woman for their personal sexual life and pleasure whilst linking this to the decision to have an abortion. The correlation between the two is oversimplified and misleading, excluding the reasons that can lead to a decision to an abortion.

Secondly, comments such a women’s selfish and ‘egoistic’ motives, are only unjustified opinions and put shame onto women in regards to an issue which should not be of any public debate but rather a personal and private choice of the individual. Such comments are not only sexist but also argue in favour of removing women’s autonomy over their body.  Women should be the only ones who have the right and freedom to make such decisions and be in control of their own body.

TV Prva made a problematic selection of speakers on the subject of abortion and gave a male church representative equal value to judge on a matter that affects women and their body.

The church is a completely separate sphere of influence and part of society which has no place within the debate of a woman’s autonomy and abortion rights.

Indeed, over the years the Serbia’s Orthodox Church has spoken out against abortion rights in which they have “called on the authorities to ban abortion” except in medical cases and extenuating circumstances. Within a secular state, the church and religion shouldn’t have an influence on state decisions and internal affairs especially in regards to human rights.

TV Prva has a moral and legal obligation to prevent the spread of sexist and misogynistic comments and remarks from their platform. They furthermore, have an important role to play in how they shape the conversation and the public discourse around abortion.

By inviting such a guest on the show, TV Prva holds responsibility for the way they shape public opinion. When the media give space and a platform to ‘pro-life’ individuals, as TV Prva did, they have an obligation to address the medical side that can judge the accuracy of the views expressed.

Abortion coverage spikes around legislation and litigation whilst the opinion of medical professionals, researchers and personal stories about abortion are missing. The topic of abortion and right to have one should be treated as a health care matter which is private and separate from the sphere of religion – it is a personal rather than a religious matter.

TV Prva has a national frequency and widespread reach, with around 4,100 views on YouTube (on a day this article was written) in relation to the recent debate and discussion broadcasted on the television program. TV Prva has a duty and obligation to provide a platform for discussion and representation of all relevant sides.  It should prevent problematic and questionable opinions getting a platform and instead seek commentary from professionals and experts on the subject matter. TV Prva has to bear in mind that their choices shape the public opinion.

Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 media monitoring team continues to follow the media coverage of diversity across the Balkans. Throughout January, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse.

Ethnic discrimination in three Western Balkan states

In Serbia, Marko Pantović, a member of the Priboj Police Administration, uploaded a video on his Facebook profile in which both him and his colleagues (also members of the Ministry of Interior) sang a song that glorified the genocide of Srebrenica. This video was picked up and covered by local and national media, mainly those who had a critical stance on the incident.

The song itself was extremely harmful and offensive, making reference to the Srebrenica genocide in a manner which glorified the event and even called for its repeat. One of the lines in the song read “Srebrenica you are so dear to me, I hope it happened three times again”. It is an example of a highly dangerous and harmful instance of the glorification of war crimes and traumatic historical events. Bearing in mind the amount of people who suffered and were murdered as a result of the genocide, the video is triggering and disturbing to the Bosnian population and to the families of the victims of the genocide. As this song was sung  by a member of the police administration, it highlights the need to establish institutional standards and measures  for such actions so that inappropriate behaviours have consequences.

The video was later removed from Facebook, but a copy remains uploaded on YouTube.

Following the incident, President Aleksandar Vučić visited Priboj and held a press conference in which he stated that the police from Priboj who sang songs glorifying the crimes against Bosniaks in Srebrenica will be “not only punished” but also transferred from Priboj, which is a multinational city, to southwestern Serbia.

However, at that conference he also said “I will not tell you to take off your hijab, although the whole of Serbia would celebrate me, but I will tell you that we will respect your rights and freedoms”. There are many issues and hateful connotations lying behind this comment.

Firstly, in a democratic society, no one holds the right to comment or control what other people do and do not wear. Secondly, in this comment, the first section of the sentence itself gives the impression that most of Serbia and its people do not accept the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. Such comments, especially when shared and promoted by highly ranked political figures, despite actually saying  “we will respect your rights and freedoms” sends underling messages that divide citizens on religious grounds.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina on 9 January,   Milorad Dodik , member of the BiH Presidency and leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD),  spoke against the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His comment was extremely undermining and derogatory to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by arguing that they indeed are not a civil and harmonious nation, but rather a nation which is trying to discriminate against the Serbian people. Dodik continued by saying that “the story of civil BiH is an illusion that they want to impose on us and push the Serbian people into the position of a national minority. It is equal to the idea of the Ustasha state from the last century”.

The Ustasha/Ustaše were a known Croatian fascist and ultranationalist group of people who operated and existed in the first half of the 20^th century. His reference to ‘Ustasha’ is extremely harmful as it comparesthe state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people to that of an ultranationalist organisation which was known for its fascism and hateful behaviour. By making such comments, Milorad Dodik challenged the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and fuelled further tension among various ethno-religious groups within the country. His behaviour and comments have further intensified following the number of imposed sanctions on him by the international community.

In Albania, singer Ronela Hajati, who won the 60^th Song Festival  [Festivali i Këngës 2021] with the song ‘Secret’, has been chosen to represent the country in the Eurovision song contest 2022. Nevertheless, the public seems to have reacted negatively to both the song, which speaks of a secret love story, and the singer. . As a reaction to the song Ronela Hajati, received a large number of  hateful language including sexist comments.  

Gazeta Tema, an online newspaper, released a headline surrounding the issue which read “This non-Albanian gypsy wrote the lyrics of the song while having sex”.

The headline is based on the quote by the actor and songwriter Cun Lajc who criticised the song and singer saying that “…she will win the festival because she is Armine, Azerbaijani, gypsy, Russian and not at all Albanian. This is the degeneration of voters and singers who write their song lyrics in the WC or while having sex. I felt miserable when I read on the internet that she will represent Albania in Eurovision”.

However, he was not the only one who has commented with such hateful speech, as another online commentator has called her a “Dutch cow” to which Ronela responded  with the comment “Albanian donkey”. Here is an example of offensive language  from both sides.

Tema newspaper, on the other hand, has provided the space and means of enabling such hateful content, shifting the comment section into a battlefield of hate speech in various forms. The media has a duty and moral obligation to refrain from spreading such language rather than using it to get clicks and profit.

Sexism in Montenegro and Kosovo

In Montenegro, during a conversation on the topic of violence against women on the morning program of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG), presenter at the public service Jovana Božarić-Stanišić shared highly sexist narratives. She  argued that there are instances of violence against women due to the fact that women sometimes challenge men to “behave improperly”.

She  added that indeed “… there’s also another side. I’m guided by the fact that women when it’s time to avoid something or not say something so as not to provoke the other side, should remain silent. There are women who do not stop speaking, there really are”.

Her comments and remarks were shared amongst various social media and news websites, including the headline on Vijesti which read – the justification of violence on RTCG: “women sometimes themselves provoke men…”. This is extremely harmful and dangerous as such comments being made on public television spread sexism even further and are used as a justification for violence against women. Unfortunately, this pattern of victim blaming narratives is present at a national level despite the potential harm it may do. This contributes to many women who are themselves victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse feeling shame or responsibility for the violence they go through.

In Kosovo, the media reported on two incidents of domestic violence in early January. A headline on Gazeta Express read “A 31- and 70-year-old man were arrested in Ferizaj/Uroševac, their wives were beaten”.  According to the report a 31-year-old man beat his wife, and a police reported that it was not the first time that he had used physical violence against his partner. Similarly, a 71-year-old man also used violence against both his wife and son. The victims of these two cases of violence ended up in hospital whilst the Basic Court in Ferizaj/Uroševac sentenced the two perpetrators to 48 hours in custody.

Cases of domestic violence often end with 24- or 48-hour detention which apart from being a short ‘sentence’ for the perpetrators does not help to ensure the continued safety of victims of domestic violence themselves. There have been several tragic cases in the last few years, for this very reason. At times the news headlines themselves, as seen in this case, can act as a green light in encouraging various hate speech comments which justify violence against women. If, for example the headline said “[a] 31-year-old and a 70-year-old arrested for domestic violence”  the reactions would have been directed towards the perpetrators and violence in general. Kosovo is an extremely patriarchal society in which many men believe to have the right to psychological and/or physical violence towards their wives and partners.

Media outlets have a duty and responsibility to report on incidents of violence and harassment in an objective and professional manner so as to condemn such behaviour and present it in the all-serious manner of the situation. A more analytical approach from the media, rather than just reporting (which often show underlying sexism and stereotypes), would help contribute to changing the public perception of this issue.

Targeting and hate speech in  North Macedonia

In North Macedonia, an unknown man verbally attacked an employee in the Centre for Reproductive Health and threatened to set the Health Education and Research Associate (HERA) as well as the employee on fire. The unknown man entered the building by claiming he sought advice on his children’s health. When the employee started to explain the available tests and procedures for sexually transmitted diseases, the man began to verbally assault her by calling her derogatory names. When the employee said she would call the police, he said he would set the building and her on fire.

 It was soon evident that the threat and attack was both premediated and planned out – putting both the employees and Center itself in danger and vulnerable to further attacks.

This does not come as a surprise following the strong rhetoric and online attacks against HERA especially in their effort to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and curricula. Such hateful comments and rhetoric are not only aimed at HERA themselves, but also towards other groups and associations that advocate for gender equality and sex education. Many of these online attacks on various social media sites include the use of fake news and tactical distortion of information orchestrated and organised in a way so as to discriminate and label against groups of citizens and open use of hate speech.

The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate on the internet based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region.

Our January Troll of the Month is Gazeta Insajderi, an online website in Kosovo, which spreads misogyny, sexism and false information in relation to a recent murder by a husband of his wife in Lauša/Laushë, Kosovo.

On January 5^th, in the village of Lauša/ Laushë, in the municipality of Srbica/Skenderaj in Kosovo, L.Q was murdered by her  husband. In response to this murder, ‘Gazeta Insajderi’ a news website published a reference to an unnamed source and statement claiming that the woman was killed as she had supposedly cheated on her husband. This was then shared by numerous outlets on their websites as well as on their social networks. ‘Gazeta Projekti’ even used the headline “the motive for the murder of a woman by her husband is cheating”. Such speculation about cheating and fraud, especially if they are made part of a headline indirectly results in the justification of the case and murder of a woman by her husband.

As a response to the media headlines and articles regarding the case, several people commented on social media questioning the validity of those claims.

According to police reports in Kosovo, the woman who was killed had suffered both physical and psychological violence for several years. According to a statement by her son, in August last year, her husband had tried to kill her, however, she decided not to report the case to the police. On January 1^st, she reported domestic violence to the police but was not given adequate protection. Her husband was arrested but released shortly after at the request of his lawyer in order to allow for a psychological examination of his client. The State Prosecutor’s Office requested that the necessary actions be taken against the prosecutor and judges involved in the case.

Unfortunately, cases of domestic violence of women in Kosovo are not treated as serious crimes in Kosovo and courts generally impose very small, symbolic sentences in cases of violence and murder towards women with the exception of life sentences in some cases of murders of women. According to Kosovo Police, the number of domestic violence cases rose from 1,915 in 2019 to 2,020 in 2020. Officially, 6 women have been killed by their partners in 2020. Institutions such as the police are responsible for the protection of victims of violence and for the prevention of such cases. However, they have so far failed to apply and implement such protection.

Following the case, Kosovo women’s rights activists have come forward and “requested the maximum punishment” for the murder of L.Q. This came in response to the large number of femicides, killing of women and girls because of their gender, in the country and low sentences given as a result of such crimes.

By promoting and publishing headlines and accusations of fraud and cheating in relation to any act of violence and murder towards both women and men, the media indirectly lead to the justification of such acts. By perpetuating misogynistic and sexist narratives the issue at hand is flipped over in a manner which justifies violent behaviour and places blame on the victim. Media headlines built upon speculation run the risk of downplaying the issue at hand. Media institutions hold both a responsibility and moral obligation to publish objective information and remain unbiased when reporting on events especially in relation to public crimes and murder.

Every year, on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day which is commemorated on 27 January the world recalls the greatest suffering in the history of mankind. It is a day when we remember the millions of people who were taken to concentration camps and were killed.

For historian Milovan Pisarri, director of the Center for Public History/Belgrade, the Holocaust is a topic that must be addressed primarily by the education system, which must instill in young generations that what happened to Jews must not be repeated.

“It takes political will, but also joint work. Everyone should participate: scientists, teachers, cultural workers, artists and especially politicians, ” Pisarri tells RDN 2.0. He reminds us that almost all European countries, especially Germany, learned a lot from the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust.

“We do not have what is needed to build a serious culture of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust, and that lies with dealing with the past,” says Pisarri.

Pisarri believes that the growth of right-wing and racist tendencies in various political parties which, in some countries, are parts of the government, have also influenced the growth of antisemitism and relativization of the Holocaust.

“In general, it could be said that awareness of these issues has increased, especially in the last ten years, a lot has been done in the field of education about the Holocaust and the culture of remembrance. The media also more often deal with the issue of the suffering of Jews. On the other hand, if we look a little deeper, the awareness of that suffering encompasses only certain categories of the population: this includes those who have read something about it, learned something in school, heard something. Unfortunately, many still did not have that opportunity, while many others, although they know something, perceive it only as historical information, and not as the most terrible crime that humanity has ever seen and which can, in certain circumstances, be repeated if we do not build a solid culture of peace, tolerance, solidarity and equality, ” he says.

Pisarri thus notes that in Serbia, Holocaust Remembrance Day coincides with the religious holiday of Saint Sava (Sveti Sava), so in general not much is said about the martyred Jews, but much more attention is paid to the founder of the Serbian church. He also notes that, although there is an awareness of the terrible suffering of the Holocaust, strong anti-Semitic stereotypes can be heard which they reproduce the most terrible Nazi propaganda. Pisarri emphasizes that stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination are important indicators that speak of the potential danger of another ethnic group becoming a victim of a new genocide in certain historical circumstances. In that sense, Roma and migrants are in a potentially dangerous situation, among other things, because violent attacks on them happen almost every day in Europe. He also mentions that those who are responsible of addressing this topic are the political classes in power and not ordinary people.

“For decades, Yugoslavia was ruled by political classes that used nationalism, hatred of others and the strategy of scapegoating to make their own profits – and that is not always just money, but power. That led to the genocide in Srebrenica, to various massacres, persecutions, and suffering of enormous proportions. Unfortunately, those same political classes continue to use these tools, and the people are simply brainwashed. Their ability to think critically has essentially been destroyed by various tabloids, TV series and shows, and empty political speeches,” Milovan Pisarri tells RDN 2.0.

Historian Olga Manojlovic Pintar believes that we ought to “live” the memory of the Holocaust every day through the relationship to others as well as through history and through the present. However, she mentions that in countries such as Serbia nationalist ideologies are being reaffirmed again and again, which do not provide space for new value systems and new types of connections. Manojlovic Pintar believes that this situation is largely a product of the lack of alternative ideological concepts that would provide a basis for a different understanding of individuals and social groups. She points out that we need the affirmation of the idea that change begins in every person:

For the Vice President of the Jewish Community of Novi Sad, Professor Dr. Mirjana Kranjac, the first woman in this position, the memory of the Holocaust always has a sublime dimension, but also quite a real one which is manifested through empathy, connection, helping, supporting, understanding, forgiveness and remembering.

“The times we live in are difficult, we did not deserve them, and especially in them we need to understand each other. The Jewish community has lived and lives through such times, and it is the memory of the Holocaust that has sustained it through all the bad things that have happened. The Jewish community takes care of each member. Each member carries tremendous pain with it. Many were left alone. We have no relatives, we have no mementos, we have no photographs. We have memories, and we stick to those memories and pass them on to the younger generations, to be known, to never be forgotten. We try to teach others to take care of each other. We take care of each individual, and each name that perished. We are trying to share our experiences with others, especially the Serbian community – and I am a child from a mixed marriage: my father is a Serb, my mother a Jew, and I have been following what is happening in those two worlds all my life. Listen, help, support, educate, that’s the only way people can understand, read between the lines, understand and take a step forward, see what will happen. Only those who understood – were saved. These times should teach us to sharpen our sense of what will be. To do it by cooperating and helping each other. This is the only way we can survive in difficult times when the key pillars of society are collapsing, from education to culture, ” said Dr. Mirjana Kranjac. 

Author: Snežana Miletić

Photo: GiuseppeCrimeni/ Shutterstock

Every year, on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day which is commemorated on 27 January the world recalls the greatest suffering in the history of mankind. It is a day when we remember the millions of people who were taken to concentration camps and were killed.

According to the United States Holocaust Memoria Museum:

Photo: Grabowski Foto/Shutterstock

Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 have opened the call for project applications aiming to counter hate speech and improve representation of diversity.

The call is opened as part of the Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 project and is established with the objective to effectively influence media representation of ethnicity, religion and gender in the Western Balkans. RDN 2.0 aims to activate the role of civil society in countering the narratives of divide and replacing them with much needed positive discourse contributing to the value of good neighbouring relations and respect for social diversity;

The overall objective of the call for proposals is to increase effectiveness of CSOs in interacting with media in order to reduce perpetuation of stereotypes and negative images of the others.

The specific objectives of the call for proposals are:

– to strengthen position of local CSOs in safeguarding their beneficiaries’ rights in media;

– to provide opportunities for local CSOs to influence public perceptions;

– to increase the number and quality of messages conveyed to audience;

– to improve visibility and media presence of women and minority rights’ issues;

– to raise awareness and contribute to positive perceptions of the others and tolerance and inclusion in the region

Types of actions that are eligible for funding (list is open and might include other project ativities as long as they contribute to the above-mentioned objectives):

a) Advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns;

b) Production of media content;

c) Creation of campaigns countering hateful narratives in the public sphere;

d) Creation of specific web-portals enabling citizens’ inputs, access to information and public debate;

e) Consultations, roundtables and meetings with local stakeholders;

f) Facilitating policy dialogue with stakeholders (e.g. political parties, local officials, expert community, media).

Project timeframe is maximum six month.

Overall budget for the programme per country is 27500 EUR. As envisaged by the Programme, we will support 5 projects in each country, while individual grants will range from 3000 EUR to 8000 EUR.

CSOs responding to this call must meet the following criteria:

• that they are registered in their respective countries and that they have settled all legal obligations;

• have experience in the field of representation of diversity and/or hate speech;

• be directly responsible for project preparation and management;

• that their bank account is not blocked;

• that the organizations are not beneficiaries of the funds of the European Commission  Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2018-2019, budget lines: BGUE-B2018-22.020401 and BGUE-B2019-22.020401

• Organizations can submit only one project proposal under this Program as an applicant or as a partner

We welcome applications from diverse type of civil society organisations: grassroot organisations, memebrs of the larger-scale networks acting nationaly or regionaly, media established as CSOs.

Partnership with local media will be considered as an advantage and will ensure additional points.

A one-day training regarding the rules and procedures for the implementation of EU grants will be organized for selected grant recipients. The training will cover topics such as: project management, visibility rules, financial reporting, etc.

In addition, selected CSOs will be provided with mentoring support to assist them in conducting creative media campaigns to raise public awareness as well as in managing project activities.

We invite all interested organisations to fill in the application forms (attached).

Deadline to submit the application is February 21, by 17:00.

Please see the call for applications in Albania on the link.

Please see the call for applcations in Bosnia and Hezegovina on the link.

Please see the call for applications in Kosovo on the link.

Please see the call for applications in Montenegro on the link.

Please see the call for applications in North Macedonia on the link.

Please see the call for applications in Serbia by downloading call for applications, application form and budget form.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS document is now available.

The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate on the internet based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region.

Instead of the December Troll, our audience helped us select the Troll of the Year. After several stages of voting the  results came in, and we had not one, but two Troll of the Year: the first being a private group on Facebook based in North Macedonia who shared private images without consent and the second TV Pink in Serbia which spread misogynistic narratives.

In order to end the year 2021 with an overarching troll of the year, the voting process was opened up to the public. With the use of Instagram stories, the public and fellow RDN 2.0 followers were offered the opportunity to vote for their chosen troll of the month. After four rounds of intense voting, the results came out and pointed to a tie between a private group from North Macedonia and television Pink from Serbia. Both these incidents were chosen by the public (with the equal number of votes) as highly insensitive and note-worthy incidents which deserved to be exposed and presented as this year’s Balkan Trolls.

The first troll relates to a private Facebook group in North Macedonia which shared a number of private photos of underage Roma girls without their consent. It soon became known that the group consisted of over 2000 members who were sharing a number of photos of underage Roma girls. Furthermore, accompanying the photos, there appeared a number of hateful comments and sexist narratives. This included the negative labelling of the girls as ‘indecent’ only further spreading sexism and discrimination.

Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of such an incident taking place within the country. The public room incident which first appeared in 2020 through the social network Telegram, involved the sharing and promoting of private photos and videos. All of these photos and information was shared and spread without the consent of the individuals involved. The group was reported to originally consist of “some 7,400 members and according to the reports, in some instances, the group also contained the alleged identities of the individuals.

This is an example of a highly criminal and illegal instance of the spread of gender-based violence and sexist narratives which are upheld within society.

Following a public outcry, the group sharing the private photos of Roma girls has since been deleted from Facebook with a number of human rights NGOs pointing out and demanding legal action against those who created the group.

Nevertheless, the problem still remains and persists even two years onwards. Sexist and patriarchal values persist within society and are only further promoted and maintained by such incidents. This further highlights the mechanisms of protection in place on social media platforms and their response to such sexist content. Social media regulations should prevent such scandals from taking place by removing such content from the platform. They have both a moral and legal duty to ensure that such content is not shared and promoted while simultaneously, allowing gender-based violence and sexual harassment to slide under the radar.

Unfortunately, it has recently been revealed that a new group was formed in the city of Gevgelija called ‘GevgelijaHub’. The group was formed on social media and its members have been sharing pictures of local girls without their permission. Despite a number of girls having initiated a police procedure, a year later, this case has still not been resolved. The role of Meta, new name of the company that owns Facebook, has once more been pointed out, as prosecution is now waiting for them to reveal the IP addresses of those individuals who shared these photos and pictures.

The second troll involved TV Pink, a privately owned TV station with a national frequency in Serbia, who gave the platform to a former Serbian football player and coach, Dušan Savić. During the morning show ‘Novo Jutro’ on the TV Pink, former football player and coach shared his opinion of the recent legal case against Miroslav Aleksić – a director and acting teacher released from prison following several rape allegations against him. He has been let out of custody to fight against the allegations against him.

One of the allegations came from actress Milena Radulović who aired her accusations to newspaper Blic during an interview alongside charges against Aleksić. Back in January of 2021, the Belgrade High Court ordered for a “30-day custody remand” for the well-known acting teacher in response to a number of rape allegations. Aleksić is known among other things, for his acting school in which many of today’s actors and actresses attended from all ages. It soon came about that during the “last eight years, Aleksić reportedly raped and sexually harassed at least eight of his students”.

After the emergence and reveal of such allegations, the movement #MeToo blew up in the country only further revealing the sexist and misogynistic ways women continue to be treated. Within Serbia the hashtag #NisiSama (you are not alone) emerged as a response to the number of women who stepped forward and revealed the number of rape and sexual harassment cases against Miroslav Aleksić. This had a knock-on effect on other women stepping forward and presenting their stories with the support of women from the whole region.

Savić went on to comment and mention that such accusations are not “only about Mika Aleksić, it’s a much deeper story and more dangerous”. He went on to add that the affair was indeed falsely constructed  and planned. The host of the morning show added how “people do all sorts of things for 5 minutes of fame”. This comment is problematic for a number of reasons, not only for the fact that it further promotes rape and sexual harassment denial.

These narratives are extremely dangerous and run the risk of silencing victims on the fear that their experience will not be taken seriously but rather construed in a way that undermines and downplays the issue at hand.

Savić went on to accuse the recent rape allegations as a tool for attacking the Serbian nation suggesting that rather than being actual accounts of victims of violence towards women such stories were a mechanism of attacking the nation. He went as far as to claim that all these stories were indeed ‘made up’, arguing that this “made-up affair” started “when there was a lot of lobbying around the world for the propaganda Muslim movie (Quo vadis, Aida)” – a movie set during the Srebrenica genocide.

Such accusations are both extremely dangerous and xenophobic as well as running the risk of promoting genocide denial. TV Pink has a responsibility to react and stand up to such sexist, misogynistic and xenophobic comments which are further spread to the public and maintained in society.

TV Pink violated several rules and regulations in place for the protection of human rights in the field of media services. The most notable was Article 26 which explicitly states that when informing about violence or tragic event, the media service provider is obliged to do that in a way that will not violate the human dignity of the victim of violence or tragic event nor a person close to them, and especially in a way that they are not exposed to repeated suffering.