North Macedonia
Livestock Woes Lost in Headlines Over Former Pageant Queen
Cattle roaming freely on the streets and highway near Kriva Palanka in North Macedonia have now even crossed the border into Bulgaria. The local problem, which seems to have slipped through the cracks of institutions for years, has now become an international issue. The issue of abandoned livestock has brought light to the declining trend …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights: a range of harmful narratives, including those targeting journalists
Throughout March, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of harmful narratives, including those targeting journalists, gender-based harassment, as well as misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and Islamophobic discourse. Across the region, these patterns were further reinforced by sensationalist and unethical media reporting, contributing to a hostile environment for journalists, activists, and marginalised groups, and undermining democratic dialogue and accountability. …
Monthly Monitoring Highlight January
During the month of February, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by hatred towards people with disabilities, xenophobic and Islamophobic narratives, ethnic discrimination and online gender-based hate. Hatred spread towards people with disabilities in Albania During a live broadcast of the reality television show Big Brother VIP 5, …
Monthly Highlights January: Sensationalism, Sexism and Nationalism
During January, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by sensationalistic reporting, sexism and misogyny, nationalism and ethnic hatred. Sensationalistic and unprofessional reporting in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina Albanian media reported extensively on a serious case of sexual abuse involving a 12-year-old girl who was found to be approximately 22 weeks pregnant following a medical …
Monthly Highlights December
During December, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by anti-LGBTQI+ discourse, sexism alongside the glorification of war criminals, the publication of unverified information and the normalisation of gender-basedviolence. Anti-LGBTQI+ discourse in Albania In two separate television appearances in December, lawyer Zace Islami made a series of extreme anti-LGBTQ+ statements on national broadcasters …
Monthly Highlights November: Hate speech, Threats and Sensationalism
During November, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by hateful and harmful political speech, hate speech against journalists and sensationalistic reporting. Hateful and harmful speech in Albanian parliament During the parliamentary session debating the newly adopted Gender Equality Law, opposition leader Sali Berisha made a series of homophobic …
Troll of the Month: TV Klan Kosova
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkan region. On the evening of November 5, 25-year-old Daorsa Spahija from …
The State(s), the Church(es), and the Nationalism
In the Western Balkans, the line between political power and religious authority is increasingly blurred. From Belgrade to Ppogorica to Skopje, churches do more than tend to faith. Religious leaders preserve historical narratives, shape national identity, and legitimise state power. Whether by glorifying convicted war criminals or framing geopolitical struggles as spiritual battles, religious leaders …
Monthly Highlights October: ethnic hatred, sensationalism, unprofessional reporting, sexism, and political motivations
During October, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by ethnic hatred, sensationalism, unprofessional reporting, sexism, and political motivations. Ethnic hatred and violence in Montenegro Between 25 and 28 October 2025, a series of violent and xenophobic incidents unfolded in Montenegro following an attack in Podgorica’s Zabjelo neighborhood. Late …