The thin line between freedom of speech and hate speech is best illustrated by recent political speeches in Montenegro. The relevant institutions have completely failed, and by not responding adequately to evident hate speech and incitement of intolerance, they are allowing freedom of expression to be abused without fear of accountability for such actions.
This approach leads to the normalization of such discourse in the public sphere, mobilizing support for nationalist and exclusionary ideologies. What is particularly alarming in such cases is the attempt by individuals and groups to twist narratives and deny what was said, sending a clear message: “Don’t trust what you hear, but rather what we tell you as interpretation.”
Condemnation of such statements by political party representatives does absolutely nothing to combat hate speech. If they are truly determined to reject such rhetoric, then they need to take political action by withdrawing support from such individuals or political entities. Otherwise, they are encouraging those individuals and entities to continue such speech, which could ultimately lead to increased physical violence and social radicalization.
Several factors contribute to the tolerance of such behavior by these individuals and political parties. Primarily, political calculations prevent them from taking concrete steps that would result in withdrawing support at the national or local level. Furthermore, party representatives follow the party’s stance and lack the courage to speak independently on such issues. Finally, and importantly, they are aware that citizens quickly forget what was said, so they avoid making political moves that could potentially impact their voter base in various ways.
With this in mind, UZOR will soon implement the project “Strengthening Social Responsibility in the Digital Era,” which aims to highlight this type of speech, the prevalent narratives, and the extent to which they result from foreign influence. The project is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
