Monthly Monitoring Highlights December: Hatred towards journalists, ethnic hatred, anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric, the politicisation of sexual harassment cases alongside sexism and hateful targeting

During December, the RDN monitoring team detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse fuelled by hatred towards journalists, anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric, sexism and ethnic hatred.

Hatred towards journalists in Kosovo

The founder of the online portal “Nacionale,” Berat Buzhala, received a death threat on his Facebook profile with the account name “Valon Karanezi.”  “If I only see you somewhere, oh son of shkine, because I’m giving you Albanian oath that I’m going to kill you and those like you, know that your days are numbered, not only from me but you have greetings from the people of Kosovo”, it is said in the message received by Buzhala. Buzhala published this threatening message and wrote the following on his FB profile: “​​​​. Good morning, these are the consequences of the country’s prime minister’s false accusations towards journalists. Someone actually believed this.”

The Kosovo Journalists Association (AGK) responded to this threat, calling it very serious, as it endangers Buzhala’s safety and the media outlets he works for. The AGK urged the Kosovo Police to urgently investigate the case and hold the person responsible for issuing the threat. The AGK also expressed deep concern about the growing spread of hate speech and violence towards journalists, which is most often coming from government officials and members of the ruling party. The AGK called on Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti to stop this hateful rhetoric against journalists and the media in Kosovo and urged other officials from his party to do the same. 

Buzhala has been a target before, referring to those who attack him as “trolls” from the “Vetëvendosje” movement. He and his media outlet are among the strongest critics of the current government and the Prime Minister. They have exposed several scandals of the government, including alleged recordings of conversations between “Vetëvendosje” and the “Serb List,” as well as Milan Radojičić himself.

The situation escalated after the public broadcaster Radio Television Kosovo (RTK), which is heavily influenced by the Kosovo government, reported a story from the “Slobodna Bosna” portal about the alleged control of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić over the Albanian-language portals “Periskopi” and “Nacionale.” This led to a scandal, and because of disagreement with this policy, two people from RTK’s management and several members of its board resigned. 

Media associations, experts, and the opposition have described this as a brutal campaign to pressure media freedom and the safety of journalists. The latest attacks on journalists have been brought into sharper focus after the sabotage of the “Ibar Lepenac” channel, when the Prime Minister held an extraordinary press conference, urging citizens not to trust some of the media, claiming that some are waging a hybrid war against Kosovo, its people, and the Albanian people in general. Many representatives of the media, civil society, and analysts interpreted this as a direct threat to the physical safety of journalists and the media. 

Anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric in Albania

On 2 December 2024, during the airing of “Opinion,” one of Albania’s most-watched political talk shows on TV Klan, a debate on the legalization and decriminalization of prostitution shifted to a discussion of the LGBTQ+ community. Panellist Saimir Kodra expressed resistance to the societal integration of LGBTQ+ individuals, making derogatory comments that reinforced damaging stereotypes about the community. The debate further escalated when Zhaklin Lekatarin raised the question of why pedophiles can marry while homosexuals cannot, prompting heated exchanges and controversial remarks.

The discussion was initially centered on whether prostitution should be legalised or decriminalised in Albania. While Kodra strongly opposed legalisation, he shifted the focus to the LGBTQ+ community, arguing that their presence should not serve as a societal model. The debate intensified when panellist Zhaklin Lekatari challenged Kodra, questioning societal double standards by asking, “If pedophiles can marry and have children, why can’t homosexuals?” This remark was intended to highlight inconsistencies in societal acceptance but also contributed to a heated and polarizing exchange.

Saimir Kodra spread extremely hateful rhetoric including the claims that LGBTIQ+ individuals “have a broken family that taught them to harm other people’s children or their own.” These remarks framed LGBTQ+ individuals as societal outcasts and reinforced harmful narratives about their families and roles in society. Zhaklin Lekatari and Gëzim Tushi both opposed Kodra’s views. Lekatari argued for equality and inclusion, raising the provocative question about pedophiles versus homosexuals to expose societal contradictions. Tushi criticized Kodra’s framing as perpetuating harmful biases, calling it a “perversion” to exclude individuals based on their sexuality. Despite their challenges, the lack of strong moderation allowed Kodra’s discriminatory narrative to dominate the discussion.

The program’s framing and lack of intervention normalised hate speech, amplifying discriminatory rhetoric on a national platform. By failing to challenge or contextualize such statements adequately, the show contributed to the stigmatization of an already marginalized community.

Sexism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The most read websites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Klix.ba and Radiosarajevo.ba, posted a news story on Facebook regarding a statement by Sanja Vulić, the head of the SNSD parliamentary group in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The comments under the posts on the Facebook pages of both websites were filled with sexism and insults. The website Radiosarajevo fuelled hostility toward Vulić through its Facebook headline. The article further exacerbated this by noting that Vulić “continues to excel in her statements about current events,” referencing a previous controversial remark. The website furthermore amplified this by using the headline “Here she is today,” which carried a tone of disdain.

Under the posts, users on Facebook posted hateful, misogynistic and sexist insults and comments. It almost seemed as though the platform’s users were competing to publish hateful comments surrounding a woman as a main character in the news. Furthermore, despite Facebook page moderators being required to remove such comments, they failed to do so. Regardless of the fact that Sanja Vulić sometimes has strong opinions, this should not be a reason to post such comments to her just on the basis of her being a woman. Sexism and misogyny hold no place in society including on social media platforms and portals – such hate should be removed and dealt with appropriately.

Hateful targeting in Serbia

After a train station canopy collapsed, killing 15 and severely injuring 2 people on November 1 in Novi Sad, Serbia, massive protests erupted nationwide. 

After the protests, all faculties at Serbia’s four main state universities, along with numerous high schools, were shut down or placed under blockade. Students are, among other things, demanding the publication of complete documentation regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train Station and the prosecution of those who attacked students during one of the protests.

While there are peaceful (commemorative) protests in all major cities in Serbia every day at 11:52 am (the moment of the canopy collapse), some of the most popular Serbian media, including the public service broadcaster do not report on them adequately. Certain (pro-regime) media outlets have been targeting activists, students and others participating or publicly showing their support for the protests labelling them as ‘anti-Serbian’ ‘working against the state’, ‘violent’ and accusing them of ‘wanting to cause a civil war’.  Students, activists and supporters of the protests have also been accused of cooperating with the opposition and taking money for their activism.  They were also described as violent and extremists, accused of being drug addicts and taking money for their activism either from foreign governments or the opposition. Fact-checking portal Fake News Tragač analysed 181 propaganda texts focusing on targeting students and their fight, and this data was gathered in less than two months.

Tabloids have been using manipulations, disinformation and spins in an attempt to target, discredit and intimidate young people. 

Apart from the harmful media narratives around protesters and students, those participating in protests, especially in roadblock 15-minute commemorations for the 15 victims held across the country have been attacked both physically and verbally while protesting.

Protesting is a fundamental right in any democracy – it serves as an expression of free speech and will to express dissent and hold those in power accountable. It allows citizens to voice their concerns, injustices and to demand change.

However, when protests are met with hate, aggression, or violence, it undermines these democratic principles. Hostility toward peaceful protest stifles open discourse, creating fear of retaliation for speaking out. Additionally, when the media discredits protestors by framing them negatively and spreading disinformation, it distorts public perception and marginalises their voices. Protests must be met with respect and dialogue whilst the media should promote open discussion rather than suppression.

Ethnic tension in North Macedonia

The celebration of the Albanian Flag Day, on the evening of 28.11.2024, unleashed a spiral of ethnic intolerance after dozens of cars “paraded” through the capital Skopje, disregarding traffic rules and firing multiple shots from automatic weapons. But what further escalated the situation was the ways in which videos were published online of the destruction of the Macedonian flag and then the Albanian flag in the style of an ‘eye for an eye’. All of this was preceded by a series of comments with hate speech and calls for violence from various political figures to amplify the tension.

Furthermore, during a basketball match, a message was sent by fans of the Rabotnicki basketball club who were cheering on their team in Skopje. The message read “the sun you tread on will burn you” – a message to those who tore and trampled on the Macedonian flag in multiple locations across Macedonia.

North Macedonia is a country characterised by significant ethnic diversity, but this plurality has often been accompanied by underlying ethnic tensions. The country’s various communities—predominantly ethnic Macedonians and Albanians—have frequently been pitted against one another, with historical grievances and political rivalries amplifying divisions. Furthermore, one can often see hatred of one community against the other as in this case – rather than promoting unity and diversity in the country, often incidents like these arise which only further exacerbate the division and tension.

The Politicisation of Sexual Harassment Allegations in Montenegro

After the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro revealed the case of sexual harassment of a former student of Gymnasium Slobodan Škerović by her professor, which the principal of the institution, Biljana Vučurović, had known about for three years, the pro-Serb media outlet IN4S has been reporting almost daily in an unethical manner, supporting Vučurović and presenting criticism of her actions as an attack on Serbs in Montenegro.

The President of the Montenegrin Parliament, Andrija Mandić, stated that this represents “someone’s attempt to stir up relations between Serbian parties and the ruling parties in Montenegro,” while Milan Knežević, a prominent pro-Serb politician, also presented the criticism of Vučurović’s actions as a “witch hunt.” The spokesperson for the Democratic People’s Party (DNP), Jovana Todorović, said it was a “misogynistic campaign” against Vučurović. All of these statements were reported with approval by the pro-Serb tabloid IN4S, which also published a manipulative letter from “gymnasium professors” attempting to defend Vučurović’s reputation, though it was not signed by all the professors, but only 64 of them. IN4S did not publish the denial from many professors who stated they did not participate in the letter, as other media outlets reported.

Research has shown so far that when the educational institution is faced with a case of sexual violence towards the pupils, school administration first wants to protect themselves, and not the pupils. In Montenegro, the sexual harassment case has been politicised. This shift in focus from the allegations to ethnic divisions not only deflects attention from the case of sexual harassment but also deepens societal tensions, preventing a proper discussion on accountability and justice. The media has a moral and legal responsibility and duty to report in an ethical and unbiased manner, however as seen in this case, portal IN4S published articles which adhere to their political views and standing rather than for the benefit of informing the public as well as using this opportunity to open a discussion around the important subject of sexual harassment.