Category: News

  • Hate speech and ethnic divisions in an anti-Albaniancampaign on social networks

    The reason for inciting this campaign on social networks is a post on Facebook from a suspicious closed account, in which the author, without giving further details, says that at the cash register in the “Kipper” market in Gjorce Petrov, the saleswoman refused to tell the prices of the products in the Macedonian language, i.e.…

  • Macedonian and Serbian media used the incident withPresident Osmani to incite hate speech on ethnic grounds

    Photo illustration by Portalb.mk: Vjosa Osmani and the comments and headlines in the media On the 1st of August 2024, the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, was involved in a diplomatic incident at Skopje International Airport. This incident sparked a lot of controversy in the media and received particularly strong reactions and hate speech from both Macedonian and…

  • Music and Hatred: How a Song Caused Ethnic Tensions at a Student Party in Skopje

    Printscreen from the “Patriotic Association” post which incited hatred A student party in Skopje this spring took an unexpected turn when playing an Albanian song towards the end of the event sparked controversy and hate speech on social media. Despite the organization’s inclusive nature, which includes members from diverse ethnic backgrounds, a nationalist group named…

  • When medical students apologize, the impact of the anti-gender movement in the public sphere

    In April 2024, the Macedonian Medical Student Association (MMSA) announced on Facebook that the Faculty of Medicine of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (UKIM) in Skopje will host a lecture titled “The Path of Transitioning.” According to the post, the lecture was supposed to cover various aspects of gender-affirming care and medical services. The…

  • A Recurring Phenomenon: Hate Speech Surges Against Ethnic Groups in North Macedonia Before Elections

    Considering that political parties in North Macedonia traditionally use nationalist rhetoric to gain political points, hate speech, mainly on ethnic grounds, intensifies significantly in every pre-election period. This year, nothing has changed and the hatred has spread from social networks into the media. The campaign began unofficially with the formation of a technical government, although…

  • TROLL OF THE MONTH: Professor Biljana Vankovska

    Article and photo by Portalb.mk 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 Early this year, a group…