The focus of CIVIL’s monitoring team in the period May-June 2021 was on structured monitoring of hate speech and fake news on the social networks and electronic media. Over 120 content were detected in this period on online media platforms and social media, of which CIVIL’s monitoring team processed 40 cases. Most were content that spread and incited hate speech, while there was less content regarding the spreading of fake news, but not less significant.
Except for the usual and known profiles and pages on Facebook and Twitter, specially designed just for spreading hate speech, disinformation, fakes news and tendentious political propaganda, websites close to certain political parties, but also websites of traditional media, were followed as well, where such content is noted far less, and mostly in comments by the public.
Hate speech – mostly against political actors or public figures whose views provoke viral reactions among the public on the social networks.
Cases with content through which orchestrated spreading of hate speech is conducted and which provoke reactions and comments among the users were noted on the Facebook profile “Lele”, which for a short time has over 10,000 followers, of which most are the same visitors of the already well-known Facebook pages „Cyber Club Ludata Joci“, “Nalet da se storite”, “Vidi Vidi” and “Cicki.mk“ that indicates a possible connection of these profiles and pages.
In one of the analysed cases, it concerns a downloaded Twitter post of the profile Sedi Pero, posted on June 9, 2021, where an illustration is shown of Minister of Defence Radmila Sekerinska, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Deputy Prime Minister Dimitrov as “EU enslavers of North Macedonia”, with a flag of a Nazi Swastika. There are 14 likes on the post on Facebook, but the post on Twitter has far more attention, receiving 140 likes and 39 retweets.
In another case, the Facebook page Cicki.mk on June 9 shared a photo with SDSM members and a comment: “Who is a Northener, faggot, freak, traitor and is ready to sell their mother for lubricants, let them raise their hand!”. Among those who share the photo are the Facebook pages “Cyber Club Ludata Joci“, “Kukuzel“, “Support for Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – we never accept his resignation”.
On June 10, the press conference of Deputy Prime Minister for Fight Against Corruption, Ljupco Nikolovski, which was broadcast on TV Sitel and the Facebook pages of this national television, provoked comments with hate speech from followers of the Facebook page that were directed against Nikolovski and his expressed position of support for the decision of the White House to extend the so-called “black list” of corrupt politicians and activists acting against the Ohrid Agreement and the Prespa Agreement.
Among examples of ethnically motivated hate speech we single out a post on the Facebook page Cyber Club Ludata Joci as an interesting one, in which hate speech is spread against the Albanians, adding on to hate speech through a shared screenshot, where a photo can be seen from a VMRO-DPMNE protest and a comment from an Albanian who calls the people at the protest “dogs”.
In the posted content that comments this screenshot the following is said: “For the Shqiptars, the Macedonians are dogs? What did one society for all mean? Perhaps now the anti-nationalist green Alji will be able to answer, what do you say?”. This post is then shared also by the Facebook pages “Jovan Kukuzel”, “Support for Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – we never accept his resignation”, “Nalet da se storite”, which again refers to a connection and orchestrated action of these Facebook profiles and websites.
In another case, on the other hand, Cyber Club Ludata Joci through a link live on Facebook shared the TV show “Only Truth” on TV Kanal 5, in which activists Irena Cvetkovic and actor Sasho Tasevski debated, with an apparent goal to provoke hate speech against the activist. “Macedonia is a traditional, conservative and PATRIARCHAL society and no one has the right to brainwash children with immoral values assisted by SOROS”, is said in the comment, adding that Sasho Tasevski “tore apart” his counterpart in the debate. The post is then shared in an orchestrated manner on the Facebook profiles and websites „LeLe“, „Cicki.MK“,„Freedom or death“,„Sekula Vojvoda Fan Club“,„Makedonija na Makedoncite“,„Kukuzel“, „VidiVidi“, „Jovan Kukuzel“, „Support for Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – we never accept his resignation“,„Nalet da se storite“.
A similar case was noted on the Facebook page “Cicki.mk“, where analyst Petar Arsovski is attacked and is called a “fat pig” and is qualified as a “traitor” of the state. The inspiration is from the very title of Arsovski’s statement for “Sloboden Pecat”: In order for someone to be accused for treason, first one must commit treason. Again, the usual sharers are noticed with this content as well – the Facebook pages “Cyber Club Ludata Joci“, “Jovan Kukuzel“, “Support for Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – we never accept his resignation”.
Another example of hate speech of these related Facebook pages was noted in a post of Cyber Club Ludata Joci, where through disinformation about activist Mersiha Smailovic hate speech is incited based on her religious beliefs. The post is shared 6 times, has 93 likes and 36 comments. Smailovic is “accused” that her religion is just an excuse for “taking money from Saudi Wahhabis”.
Another example of orchestrated sharing by this group of related FB pages and profiles is noted on “Cicki.mk“ through a shared video insert from the meeting between Zoran Zaev and Erdogan, where there is a mix-up in the greeting, which this Facebook page uses for insulting Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and portraying him in the public eye as an “incapable” leader. The usual comments with hate speech can be noticed under the post.
Fake news – attacks against the education reform and the introduction of sex education, the US decision for extending the “black list”, interethnic relations
Fake news about Minister of Education Mila Carovska and the civil society organization HERA, were noted on the Facebook group „Educational reforms“, behind which are the organizers of the Initiative “There have to be textbooks and classes”, who protested against digitalization in education, and even collected signatures for a referendum on this issue.
Namely, among the demands that the Initiative submitted to several ministers, is also the connection between Minister Carovska and the organization HERA, with the purpose to accuse Carovska that there is a supposed conflict of interest and corruption, as one of the founders of the organization. For that purpose, a screenshot from 2012 was used. The news is also reported by the online portal Observer. The intention to spread as much as possible the news about a possible conflict of interest achieved its effect, with 36 shares and dozens of likes.
On the list of spreaders of false news was also TV Sitel, reporting the fake news of father Stevan Zdraveski that the vaccines contain cells of aborted children.
Later the news was withdrawn from the television’s website, but at the same went on the central news of TV Sitel. The Macedonian Orthodox Church distanced itself from the statement, saying that these views are not in accordance to the Orthodox faith.
In addition to the frequent spreading of content that provokes hate speech, the FB pages “LeLe” is also on the list of spreaders of fake news. Such an example is the sharing of the FB status of a certain Igor Cvetkovski, a real profile, in connection to the importance of the Prespa Agreement and its discrediting, in parallel with the Ohrid Framework Agreement, with the purpose to portray North Macedonia as a victim of foreign policies, primarily those of the United States. There are 11 shares and 59 likes and 1 one comment on Cvetkovski’s profile. But then again, all the comments on the FB page “LeLe” are in the style of “Never North, only Macedonia”, with sharing of photos with maps of “united Macedonia”.
The same can be noted on the Facebook profile of Jovan Kukuzel, who spread fake news about US President Joe Biden. The news is liked 77 times, shared 57 times and has 20 comments. The aim is to show a different picture of Joe Biden’s motive in for issuing the Executive order on blocking property and suspending entry into the United Stated of certain persons contributing to the destabilizing situation in the Western Balkans, showing him in a photo where his suit is photo shopped with the Albanian flag.
Conclusions and recommendation of CIVIL’s monitoring team
The continued orchestrated posting of content with hate speech and disinformation carries on at an unabated pace in a period when media production is usually reduced, which indicates that some of the political groups have already entered with full swing in the campaign for the local elections ahead. However, from the very selection of “topics” of orchestrated propaganda, it can be noticed that this campaign too will be dominated by topics that are not related to the local needs of citizens, but rather to the major national and international topics. The Prespa Agreement, will again be targeted, the Ohrid Agreement, which this year marks 20 years since its signing, the relations between the world powers, relations in the country, the attacks on civic activists and organizations.
CIVIL recommends increased alertness and quicker response by the competent bodies in addressing hate speech, which is a criminal act. However, at the same time, there should be greater alertness also among the professional media that despite the significant improvement and the far less amount of disinformation and hate speech, should pay greater attention in checking news and moderating comments with hate speech from the public on their websites on the social networks.
CIVIL monitoring team
Report prepared by: Biljana Jordanovska
Edited by: Petrit Saracini
Translation: N. Cvetkovska
