U Beogradu propaganda uperena protiv Židova i B92

04.04.2005.

 

mediawatch@lists.opennet.org

 

ANEM WEEKLY MEDIA UPDATE

 

March 22-29, 2005

 

ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-B92 PROPAGANDA IN BELGRADE

 

 

 BELGRADE, March 22, 2005 (B92) - In Belgrade downtown this morning, posters have appeared calling for a boycott of Radio Television B92 and anti-Semitic graffiti was written in front of the Jewish cemetery and several non-government organization headquarters.

 

The posters show the B92 logo inside the star of David with the message below: "Boycott because of anti-Serbian influence, dangerous influence on the Serbian youth, supporting the independence of Kosovo, supporting the spreading of drug use, homosexuality and other Western sicknesses and supporting the multiracial new world order."

 

The message "Serbia to Serbs" also appears on the poster, which is signed to the name of the National Formation.

 

Last night, graffiti was drawn outside the buildings which house the Helsinki Human Rights Council in Serbia and the Humanitarian Law Center. The Helsinki Council helped a petition signing event at Republic Square the night before entitled "Stop the Silent Conspiracy", a campaign against rising anti-Semitic sentiments in Serbia, which was organized by eight non-government organizations.

 

In front of the organization's headquarters last night, the message "Sonja Biserko – Jewish pawn – obedient servant of the World Jewish Movement" was written.

 

Serbian President Boris Tadic has condemned the propaganda posters and anti-Semitic graffiti and asked for an immediate investigation into who is behind both.

 

"This type of labeling and indirect calls for lynching represent a part of our political folklore which is believed to have disappeared from the public arena", Tadic said. Stating that everyone has the right to state an argumentative criticism of all public voices, Tadic said that, however, calls for violence and spreading national intolerance is absolutely unacceptable.

 

The Serbia-Montenegro Ministry of Foreign Affairs demands that the Serbian government "urgently finds and punishes the organizers and committers of these acts of vandalism."

 

The G17 Plus Party condemns any form of pressure being put on the media.

 

"Free media is a necessary condition for healthy democracy. Serbia is on the road to the European Union and such occurrences cannot be tolerated." the party states. "We must show that we are an open European society that is ready to unite with others to make a difference, we cannot allow threats, violence and extremism to dominate our public living."

 

The Serbian Renewal Movement stated that the posters were a part of an anti-Hague lobby that encouraged a lack of freedom of the press, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. 

 

The Power of Serbia Movement and its leader Bogoljub Karic said that they support a democratic and European Serbia, free, professional and responsible journalism, and condemn all pressure put on the media which endangers its freedom.

 

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia demands that the government identifies who is behind this propaganda aimed at B92, which promotes racial, religious and gender discrimination.

 

"The IAJS, as an organization, respects differences in convictions and choice, but condemns such labeling and calls for violence, and believes that these posters are a sign of the times that we believed were behind us. Attackers of the media, especially those that became a symbol of free and independent journalism in the past decade, cannot be allow to get by without public condemnation and reactions from the authorities, and a punishment of this type of criminal activity." according to a statement from the association.

 

The Serbian Government has also issued a statement condemning the appearance of anti-Semitic graffiti and attacks on free media. The government sees the last night's events in Belgrade as a direct threat to the Jewish community in Serbia, rating them as unacceptable. The government also said that the immediate and efficient action is needed to be undertaken, pointing that the events were directly opposing state's policy of maintaining stability, tolerance and getting closer to European integration.

 

SINGER: ALL WAS PLANNED

 

BELGRADE, March 23, 2005 (Danas) – The graffiti and posters with anti-Semitic and chauvinistic messages have appeared on several locations in Belgrade yesterday.

 

President of the Council of Jewish municipalities Aca Singer says that they have reported similar cases before, but that the police did not take any appropriate measures and arrest the perpetrators, adding that he was convinced the yesterday's synchronized appearance of the graffiti on several locations in Belgrade was not accidental.

 

"I am absolutely sure that it was an organized activity. We are not however surprised, since we have had similar anti-Semitic graffiti appearing on our graveyard and in our municipality before. The only novelty here is that similar messages appeared on other locations as well. The authors are probably the same", said Singer.

 

Singer believes that the anti-Semitic messages are more damageable to Serbia than to Jewish people living here.

 

"There are not so many Jewish people here, and I cannot say why they blame us for the things we have nothing to do with", Singer said.

 

Noting that these events would only degrade Serbia in the eyes of international public, Singer said that, although there were no appropriate reactions of the institutions to their previous appeals, he did not want to put forward the complaint to the international organizations.

 

"I don't want this issue to be internationalized. Our country has already been criticized enough that we do not need new condemnations. We don't want them to say that Serbia is criticized because of us. It seems that the Serbian nation, with respect to the individuals, is generally tolerant to Jewish people and other nations. But unfortunately, what is happening at the moment truly reminds me of Hitler's Germany. Unemployment and poverty are high, and they all need usual suspects", said Singer, adding that he was surprised by the total absence of reactions of some Serbian intellectuals and the Serbian Orthodox Church to the anti-Semitic graffiti and publications.

 

 ANTI-SEMITIC ACTIONS "EXPECTED"

 

BELGRADE, March 23, 2005 (B92) – Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus said that the government had expected anti-Semitic actions to surface "several months back."

 

Commenting on the anti-Semitic messages and propaganda against Radio Television B92 that appeared on posters and graffiti messages in Belgrade yesterday, Labus said that "among the Serbian people, there is no anti-Semitism, but this last action was diligently planned."

 

"I maintain that there is no anti-Semitism present in the people, but I do agree with Mr. Aca Singer that this was an orchestrated action, whose goal it was to shake the international reputation of the country and I think that it was internally conceived, but that is an all together different story, and I wish to say now that I fervently condemn these acts. Right when we were beginning to restore the international reputation of our nation, one action was implemented to destroy that reputation. This is an orchestrated action, but it has a different source and goal and should be taken seriously, and we must seriously fight against it." Labus said.

 

Asked by reporters whether he could name who was behind this action, Labus said:

 

"I cannot tell you anything else, but we have been expecting this action since several months back. Information exists. This happened in a moments when the nation was restoring its reputation in the world and this is something that surely does not represent the opinion of our nation, or the average citizen." Labus said.

 

Similar graffiti with anti-Semitic contents have appeared in Serbian town Negotin as well. The facades of some buildings and institutions in this town were drawn with Nazis' symbol swastika and crossed Star of David.

 

Belgrade police has however said that it had identified those responsible for these acts, stating that they have taken into custody three underage persons who were sticking posters in the different locations in Belgrade, calling for boycott of Belgrade RTV B92. The police officials said that they would take necessary legal actions against three teenagers.

 

 

 NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST LOCAL MEDIA

 

VRANJE, March 23, 2005 (B92) – Local council of the Socialist Party of Serbia in Vranje has filed criminal charges against certain independent media, accusing them of libel, dispersing false information and insult.

 

Local council of the Socialist Party of Serbia in Vranje has filed legal complaints against OK Radio for broadcasting unofficial information, saying that this political party had printed 2.500 illegal ballot papers during the previous local elections. The position of the Socialist Party of Serbia on this matter was also confirmed by the representative of this political party, Vlastimir Ristic:

 

"The charges for libel and insult are justified because they have lost, according to their calculations, 30 percent of votes on local elections."

 

Editor-in-chief of OK Radio Goran Vladkovic said that the radio feature in question was done in accordance with the rules of the profession. According to him, the information was confirmed by two sources, while the Municipal Electoral Commission had denied it.

 

"It is a classic example of an attempt to discipline the media and exert pressure on independent media, that is, OK Radio as the only independent electronic media in this region", said Vladkovic.

 

President of the Vranje Municipal Council Miroljub Stojcic, president of the local committee of the Socialist Party of Serbia in Vranje and councilor of SPS Stojan Dimcic have filed a legal complaint against the editor of "Novine Vranjske" for publishing the photomontages in this newspaper.

 

Editor-in-chief of the papers Vukasin Obradovic pointed to the fact that legal charges were never filed for more serious articles.

 

"According to our sources, which are also authentic, Stojcic is still illegally occupying the municipal apartment, despite the effective motion for vacating the premises. If I would have worried about my reputation, if I were him, I would sue somebody for that", said Obradovic.

 

The prosecutor's deputy said that the charges were also brought by the persons that could be recognised on the photomontages, thus totaling in eight legal complaints against "Vranjske".

 

 

 ANEM AND IJAS TO MONITOR WORK OF THE BROADCAST COUNCIL

 

BELGRADE, March 25, 2005 (Danas) – Independent Journalist Association of Serbia (IJAS) and the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) will not delegate their candidate for the Broadcast Council.

 

These associations will establish the commission for monitoring the Council's work, and will issue regular reports and recommendations to the public, said the president of IJAS, Nebojsa Bugarinovic.

 At the yesterday's press conference honoring the eleventh year of the Association's work, Bugarinovic said that the Association now has more than 2.400 members, but expressing the confidence that this number, as well as the influence of the organization, would only increase.

 

Bugarinovic also commented on the Draft of the Serbian Criminal Code which still contained the provisions on libel and insult and imprisonment as punishment for such criminal acts. He stated that the IJAS would demand introduction of due journalists' respect into the Code, thus preventing journalists from being held responsible in cases where they acted conscientiously. Bugarinovic explained this with the fact that there were more lawsuits against "serious" media than against tabloids.

 

Situation in the media today reminds on the time when Slobodan Milosevic was in power, when this was known as "differentiation of the media", said Djordje Vlajic, member of the IJAS Executive Committee. He also stated that the politicians had obvious desire to settle scores with the media, expressing concern that the time would come when the media would be fiercely censured by the ruling power.

 Commenting on the recent appearance of the graffiti and posters against Jewish people and RTV B92, Vlajic said that the authorities now had the chance to show how ready they were to sanction anti-Semitism and chauvinism. However, said Vlajic, it was particularly disturbing that these opinions and ideas could also be heard in the Serbian Parliament as well.

 President of the Association of Independent Journalists of Vojvodina Dinko Gruhonjic noted that the media situation in the province was "catastrophic, mainly due to the judiciary which was also criminalized in Vojvodina as well as anywhere else". He emphasized the problems which media outlets in Zrenjanin, Kikinda and Novi Sad were experiencing with the local Radical authorities.

 Milan Milinkovic, Editor-in-chief of "Podrinjski Telegraf" noted that independent media and democratic leadership on local level were non-existent, but rather regarded as "pure cosmetics". He suggested that, in case where a journalist or editor were charged for publishing information in line with the journalism code, all media should do the same, so "let them lock up and charge 500 journalists as well".

 

NO CRITICAL ROLE OF MEDIA

LESKOVAC, March 26, 2005 (B92, Beta) – Belgrade University professor Ratko Bozovic has rated journalism in Serbia as not enough critical and investigative.

 

Speaking at the panel of Leskovac Circle under title "Culture, media sphere", Bozovic said that the main reason for the lack of critical journalism in Serbia lied in the fact that after the democratic changes in October 2000, no one had drawn the line.

 

"Journalists are in trouble due to real confusion created on the political scene. Actors have just crossed from the old to a new show. There is no critical role of the media, just a manifestation", said Bozovic.

 

He also pointed out that the media have easily got over the period of Milosevic's rule, that is, the times of wars, atrocities, empty shelves in the supermarkets, inflation and enormous prosperity of the individuals.

 

"No journalist had asked those people where they have got their riches from. No one dares to remind that the candidate for the Serbian president, Tomislav Nikolic, is in fact Deputy President of the Serbian Radical Party, and highly ranked in a paramilitary formation. A politician kicks the journalist, but still gets journalists' massive support later", said Bozovic.

 

Bozovic sees professionalism as a way out, as well as culture, reasoning and knowledge of people working in the media.

 

Povratak