Toxicity in the public space is witnessed daily in Montenegro, which results in aggression, tensions and reinforced stereotypes, said the director of the Media Institute, Olivera Nikolić.
She said this at the round table "Diagnosis and therapy of freedom of expression, hate speech and ethnic tensions", organized by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM).
Nikolić pointed out that responsibility is the key word in the context of spoken public words.
"It rarely happens that someone on the public stage apologizes for the spoken words, lies and manipulation, and every day we witness toxicity in the public space, which results in aggression, tensions and reinforced stereotypes," said Nikolić.
She stated that the biggest price for this is paid by citizens whose sense of disenfranchisement is constantly manipulated.
"Individual politicians do not shy away from trying to discipline the media whose editorial policies are not to their liking, so they target the media and journalists. "We are witnessing frequent attacks on journalists whose safety is threatened," said Nikolić.
As she said, even the media cannot escape responsibility, because they are more part of the problem than the solution.
The director of CEDEM, Milena Bešić, said that political instability and constant ethnic tensions in Montenegro on a daily level show that the line between freedom of expression and hate speech is very thin.
Bešić pointed out that the event is being organized with the aim of assessing the impact of hate speech on freedom of expression.
Member of the URA Civic Movement, Božena Jelušić, in the discussion "The responsibility of politicians and public officials for the growth of hate speech, intolerance and tensions - What is the path to the healing of Montenegrin society?", said that the situation with hate speech began to deteriorate especially after 2016. .
"In one small community, it was simply discovered that the parties are financing the channels of depersonalized networks to influence voters. There was a hyperproduction of intolerance, tensions, and then hate speech," said Jelušić.
Jelušić said that now in Montenegro there is a process that is reflected in clearly visible national and religious differences, which destroys the economic process.
She pointed out that one of the concepts of media literacy is for people to ask themselves what the purpose of the media message sent by politicians is.
"Primarily, the battle for power and money are the two fundamental reasons for the growth of such phenomena," said Jelušić.
When asked about Prime Minister Dritan Abazović's allegations about certain media and whether politicians have a level of personal culture and awareness of what they say, she said that it would not occur to her to absolve Abazović.
"What is the ultimate realization as a statement must be exposed to criticism and sanction," Jelušić pointed out.
The MP of the Social Democrats, Boris Mugoša, said that cultured and emancipated behavior is unfortunately in the minority and that people who follow some civilized ways of behavior cannot come to the fore.
"It's easiest to insult and label someone, and that's what worries me in the Assembly. We need to have an additional dose of responsibility in the parliament," Mugoša pointed out.
As he said, if MPs are ready to label and insult someone in parliament, they should not be surprised that some citizens do that.
"Our mission, because I believe that there are people in the parliament who behave culturally, is not to allow ourselves to be corrupted by these others," Mugoša said.
Mugoša stated that there was a lot of criticism until August 30, 2020 about the behavior towards the media and the non-governmental sector, "but it is hypocritical when you get into decision-making positions and then behave even worse than those you criticized".
He assessed that women are discriminated against in many areas in Montenegro and that men are to blame for this.
The protector of human rights and freedoms, Siniša Bjeković, said that freedom of expression is a healthy state, while hate speech and ethnic tensions are a disease of society.
As Bjeković said, numerous theses in the media and on social networks today can be characterized as hate speech.
"I can openly say that somewhere we left out a way out of a disturbing way of behaving in public," said Bjeković.
He pointed out that it is not good that Montenegrin society has become too political.
Bjeković stated that tensions should be lowered by those who create them.
Member of Parliament of Democratic Montenegro Tamara Vujović said that everyone is responsible.
"My responsibility as a member of parliament is in every word I speak, I communicate with the citizens. "We all have a personal responsibility, and what is happening in Montenegro is a flood of democracy, portals, 52 political parties and almost every second or third citizen has a membership card," said Vujović.
She pointed out that Montenegrin society is too political.
Master's student at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Vedran Vujisić, pointed out that in Montenegro there is a lot of room for development and progress in freedom of speech.
"We should be aware that the holders of state functions take responsibility and bear the consequences for what they say in public space. This is where we come to the point that the most common reaction to hate speech is statements in which it is condemned," Vujisić said.
The coordinator in CGO, Damir Nikočević, said that it would be good for political parties to reduce the botting of their members on social networks.
"I think that for the beginning, representatives of political parties should take this into account," Nikočević added.
Program director of the Center for Democratic Transition, Milica Kovačević, said that ethno-nationalism, radicalization on the political and media scene, and media polarization are growing.
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