2024 Olympics: The Hijab Ban for French Athletes Tests the Host Nation’s Brand of Secularism

The French government’s decision to ban French athletes from wearing hijabs at the 2024 Olympics sparked months of criticism from rights groups. France has chosen to maintain the ban, adhering to a strict interpretation of “laïcité,” viewing French athletes as “public servants” subject to national secularism laws.  On International Women’s Day, the International Olympic Committee …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights June: Telegram groups, sexism and homophobia

Throughout June, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity as well as an incident of image based sexual abuse and genocide denial. Image based sexual abuse in Serbia In Serbia, the feminist organisation OsnaŽene (Empowered women) from …

ARE KOSOVO AND SERBIA IN A COLD WAR?

THE WAR-MONGERING AND VICTIM NARRATIVES LEAVE KOSOVO AND SERBIA BEHIND.  The 25th anniversary of the end of NATO’s bombing campaign against Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces, which marked the end of the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, is approaching. Today, it seems that the citizens of Kosovo are experiencing a cold war with Serbia. The …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights May: sexism and genocide denial

Throughout the month of May, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, sexual orientation, genocide denial, and hatred against political opponents. Sexism in Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo. In Montenegro, during the TV show “Some like it hot” on Adria …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights April: femicides, genocide denials and hatred aimed towards journalists

Throughout the month of April, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, ethnicity, and hatred against journalists. Femicide in Kosovo In Kosovo, two femicides took place in the month of April over a period of less than a week. At …

REGIONAL MEDIA MONITORING: Ethnicity and gender identity remain the main targets of hate speech as political targeting is on the rise

Reporting Diversity Network has been continuously conducting media monitoring of hate speech on a regional level for almost four years. Our latest set of reports show findings from May 2022 until December 2023. Gender identity and ethnicity remain the most targeted identities, as more than half of all recorded cases across the region referred to …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights March: ethnic hatred, sexism, hate towards journalists and political opponents

Throughout the month of March, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on ethnicity, gender and hatred towards journalists and political opponents. Ethnic hatred in Bosnia and Herzegovina Klix.ba, the most read web portal in Bosnia and Herzegovina reported on an incident …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights February: sexism, gender-based violence, anti-migrant rhetoric, ethnic discrimination, and hatred towards journalists

Throughout February, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, ethnicity as well as the spread of anti-migrant rhetoric and hatred towards journalists. Sexism in Serbia In Serbia, on Insajder TV, actress Ljubinka Klarić was a guest on the show Treća …

Monthly Monitoring Highlights January: racism, ethnic hatred and gender violence

Throughout the month of January, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on ethnicity, race, and gender alongside genocide denial. Racism in Serbia In Serbia, an Instagram account started posting photos of Black people in Serbia, taken in public without their consent …