TROLL OF THE MONTH: Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije
June 6, 2023
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 Balkans region.
In May, journalist Biljana Lukić tweeted a video in which the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, is seen to be insulting women and everyone who supports gender-sensitive language. The video circulated on social media, resulting in a number of reactions from the public.
In the video, seemingly referring to an unknown individual, he went on to label her as wretched and miserable, using strongly insulting language towards her. He, furthermore, commented on all those who support gender-sensitive language claiming that by doing so “you are destroying the essence of our being, and you are there to take care of it”. With this statement, he was implying that women who are in support of gender-sensitive language are going against their naturally imposed roles in society as mothers and caregivers. This message was received by one part of the public as an insult to all women, portraying them and the fight for gender equality as a threat to society.
Following this, the Serbian Orthodox Church published a press release in which it continued this rhetoric, using inappropriate, insulting language, and advocating against the Law on Gender Equality. However, this time it was also directly targeting Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, and Zorana Mihajlović, former Minister of Mining and Energy in Serbia. They are both known for advocating for gender equality and more specifically, for gender-sensitive language.
Gender-sensitive language, which promotes equality between women and men, is still much debated and contested by various experts and professionals in Serbia. Nevertheless, the Law on Gender Equality which mandates the use of gender-sensitive language is still in place in the country. Despite varying opinions on the matter, no one should feel discriminated against or attacked for its support.
This is indeed not the first time that the Patriarch has spoken out against gender-sensitive language and the fight for gender equality, labelling it as ‘gender ideology’. During Porfirije’s Easter message on the 16th of April, he urged individuals to ‘stop the violence against the Serbian language’. On this occasion, he also mentioned the Law on Gender Equality, which was adopted in 2021 and which clearly outlines and calls for the use of gender-sensitive language in state administration and the media. He, however, saw this as a ‘fight against marriage and the family’. This statement was widely criticised by the public, with the loudest criticism coming from both Janković and Mihajlović.
Having an important, influential religious figure such as Porfirije make such comments which undermine and disregard the importance of gender equality can be, at least, called disrespectful and discriminatory. Sexist narratives like these are, furthermore, spread and shared amongst the public who can internalise such ideas. Individuals such as Porfirije and institutions like the Serbian Orthodox Church hold a large amount of power and therefore responsibility as well, and should not be using their platform as a means to spread hateful language and sexism in society.
In a country where 18 femicides have occurred since the beginning of 2023, gender-sensitive language and the equal protection of women and their rights are extremely important. In a democratic society, no one should ever be discriminated against or feel threatened due to their fight for equal rights.