CIVIL most strongly condemns the act of Emil Jakimovski, an employed in the state administration, from the position of a party activist, sending messages filled with insults, threats and hate speech against journalist Meri Jordanovska and against the Mayor of Kavadarci, Mitko Jancev.

This is not an isolated case! Just a few days ago, during the Christmas holidays, we witnessed a wave of hate speech and fake news.

Therefore, CIVIL is repeating its call for political parties whose members are raging on the media and social networks making fierce threats and hate speech and are calling for violence, to publically distance themselves from them and to order their close militants to stop this behaviour.

As on January 8, 2020, CIVIL is repeating its demands for the relevant institutions to be more energetic and more active in the monitoring and legal sanctioning of black propaganda, fake news and hate speech. CIVIL also demands from the institutions to protect the authors of analyses, columns, information articles and of research in the media and non-governmental organizations. They also have the right to protection!

We remind the public that CIVIL, during its continuous monitoring of the political processes and events in the Republic of North Macedonia, notes that some political entities and media under their control are not showing minimum political culture, nor are they showing intention to lead a fair and argumentative political competition. On the contrary, a tendency is noticed of using every opportunity, including also during weekends and holidays, to pour out rivers of hatred and lies in public communication, with the purpose of achieving political advantage in an electoral or other context. This is utterly unacceptable and deserves condemnation!

Furthermore, CIVIL calls on the public, and all citizens to carefully and critically monitor the media and newsletters of political parties. All manipulative contents and the source of such contents should be decisively and openly rejected, and not multiplied. Comments to such contents are needless, while particularly hate speech in response to such contents only deepens the tension and lowers the level.

At the same time, the organization once again reminds that citizens have the opportunity to be involved in the fight against deviant incidences in public communication. On the Civic Lenses website, there is a separate REPORT section, where fake news and hate speech can be reported. In the same section, there are also forms for reporting corruption and any other type of violation of human rights and freedoms. Often there are more elements, and so those wanting to get involved in the monitoring are not sure in which category they need to report the case.

CIVIL Communication Team