Antonijevic: Election campaign in Serbia is negative, especially on social networks
Commissioner for Protection of Equality Milan Antonijevic has assessed that the beginning of the election campaign in Serbia, especially on social networks, seems "quite negative".
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He reminded that the office of the Commissioner, before the start of the campaign, issued instructions on how participants should behave, with the aim of preventing discrimination and hate speech against political opponents.
"That's exactly why a few days ago we urged citizens to report, to send those materials that are used in campaigns, which contain discrimination," Antonijevic told RTS, adding that among the reports are calls for vendetta after the election.
He stated that, depending on the severity, both the Commissioner's office and the prosecution can deal with these cases.
He specifically referred to the misogynistic attacks in the campaign, including the case of a RTS journalist who was criticized for her interview with the president of Serbia.
"It's something that each of us must condemn in some way. I hope that it will be understood that this is not the way to deal with political opponents, that you should not attack journalists who did a quality interview, that you cannot disparage all women who vote for a certain party by using some pejorative terms," said Antonijevic.
When asked where the line between criticism and insult lies, Antonijevic said it is clear.
"There is something that is permissible criticism. Of course, you can question whether this or that policy has quality or not, condemn different policies, but when it turns personal, when it turns into insults, when it turns into a lynch call, when it turns into a call for revenge after the election, threats of arrest and various other things that we hear, even from lawyers, those who should know better, then they cross that line," said Antonijevic.
He added that he hopes the bar associations will respond to such cases, as well as that the media "will return to the framework in which they should be".
Antonijevic also mentioned cases in which nationality is used as a basis for attacking certain politicians, including those heading electoral lists, and assessed that such messages insult all members of a minority community.
(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)