Hate speech represents one of the most serious challenges of modern society, and this phenomenon is increasingly normalized in Montenegro, especially in the digital space, said the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović.
He spoke today at the presentation of the Report on Mapping Hate Speech in Montenegro, organized by the Council of Europe Programme Office in Montenegro.
"Hate speech is not an opinion, nor is it criticism. It is a message that someone is not welcome. That someone is worth less. That someone should be silenced, excluded, humiliated, or erased from the public space," Milatović emphasized, as announced by his office.
Referring to the findings of a recently completed study, he warned that hate speech in Montenegro is no longer an isolated incident, but a phenomenon that is becoming part of everyday life. "It is spreading most in the digital sphere, on social networks and in comments on portals, where it is starting to look like something that is 'normal' and 'ubiquitous'."
Milatović said that Montenegro must not accept such a trend.
"We must not agree to that. No country that wants to be democratic and European can accept such a 'new normality,'" he stressed.
The President of Montenegro emphasized that society's response cannot be just a reaction after damage, but prevention, and added that we must build a society that recognizes the boundary between freedom of speech and speech that humiliates, excludes, and incites intolerance.
In this context, Milatović reiterated the view that it is necessary for the subject of Civic Education to be given formal status in the education system, as it plays a key role in the fight against polarization and radicalization. "Civic education teaches young people to distinguish disagreement from hatred, to respect diversity and to resolve conflict with arguments, not insults."
He also pointed out the importance of media literacy in the modern digital environment.
"Media literacy teaches us how to recognize manipulation, disinformation, and speech that incites intolerance. If we don't teach young people how to 'read' the world around them, someone else will explain it to them through stereotypes, fear, and division," said Milatović.
He emphasized that he has a special obligation to set standards of public communication by personal example through the way he speaks and chooses words, and to act as the president of all citizens, with the responsibility to unite, not divide.
He also extended an invitation to all stakeholders in society.
"I call on institutions to act and not to remain silent. I call on the media to be responsible in conveying information. I call on politicians and officials to lead by example, because trust in institutions begins with trust in the word of those who represent them. I call on schools to teach future generations critical thinking, through civic education and media literacy. And for all of us to bring decency back to the public space," said Milatović.
He said that the fight against hate speech is not a fight against words, but a fight for people — for the right to live without fear, without humiliation, and without exclusion.
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