RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC RFE/RL BALKAN REPORT Vol. 5, No. 23, 27 March 2001

A Twice-Weekly Review of Politics, Media and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Broadcasts in the western Balkans

HATE-SPEECH POISONS THE ATMOSPHERE

Some journalists and politicians in Macedonia and Kosova have reacted to the recent armed clashes between government forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas by using less-than-responsible language and sometimes outright hate speech. In many instances the terminology used seems clearly designed to aggravate tensions between ethnic Albanians and ethnic Macedonians rather than to ease them.  

In one example, the Macedonian-language weekly newspaper "Makedonija-Europe" of 23 March described the guerrillas not only as "terrorists" -- a term commonly used in the Macedonian and Serbian media -- but as "the black plague." It used this term in huge letters on its front page. The daily also referred to snipers, who shot at policemen in Skopje, as "monsters." Furthermore, the paper included the rubric "War in Macedonia," in which it sought to sensationalize the violence.

In a similar fashion, the Albanian diaspora daily "Bota Sot" of 24 March wrote that a particular district of Tetovo "is standing in flames," a dramatic description that is more than likely an exaggeration.

And rather than reporting professionally in a crisis situation, the daily clearly misrepresented a well- documented incident in which Macedonian police officers shot and killed two Albanians at a checkpoint. According to police sources, one of the victims attempted to throw a grenade at the police seconds before he was killed. The grenade was clearly recognizable in various press photos taken on the spot. Some ethnic Albanian media and politicians, however, hardly gave any credibility to the police claims and presented the incident as the "execution" of a man who was about to throw -- his mobile telephone.

Thus "Bota Sot" wrote that the two men killed were "Albanian victims of...Macedonian terror." The daily also claimed that most people who fled from Tetovo after that incident did so out of "fear of being executed." Thus the daily implied that the Macedonian security forces behaved in a way similar to Serbian forces in 1998 and 1999 in Kosova, namely expelling civilians by first deliberately spreading fear.

There is little evidence, however, to suggest that the Macedonian authorities pursued or pursue a policy of "ethnic cleansing" or arbitrary killings aimed at driving civilians out because of their ethnic origin. Most evidence suggests that the refugees fled areas that were immediately affected by fighting or that were close to the areas in which the guerrillas were operating. Thus the refugees appear to have been afraid of being caught in the crossfire.             In more moderate papers like "Koha Ditore" of 25 March, several Kosovar politicians expressed their concerns about the conflict but took an often ambiguous stand towards the armed fighters. Thus the leadership of the pacifist Democratic League of Kosova (LDK) passed a declaration that puts the main blame for the events in Tetovo on the Macedonian authorities, rather than on the guerrillas who started the conflict few weeks ago. The declaration says that "the LDK denounces the continuous violence used by the Macedonian government." Furthermore, the declaration urges the government to start a dialog and only thereafter does it "call on all sides not to resort to arms to solve problems."

The Democratic Party of Kosova (PDK), which is made up mostly of former members of the Kosova Liberation Army (UCK), issued a statement denouncing the violence but supporting the demands of the fighters. Finally, the Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK) accused the Macedonian government of using "Macedonian state terror" against civilians.

These ambiguous statements and dubious journalistic practices contribute to a climate in which it will be difficult for ethnic Albanians and ethnic Macedonians to start serious negotiations. At demonstrations in support of the Macedonian Albanians, protesters in several Kosovar villages shouted slogans in support of the Macedonian Albanian guerrillas. But few, if any, ethnic Albanian commentators or politicians have so far raised their voices on behalf of a Macedonian democracy that might have a right to defend itself against armed insurgents.             The perceptions of the conflict by these ethnic Albanians and ethnic Macedonians thus seem to be as contradictory as if there were two different truths. This does not bode well for a climate conducive to political dialog and compromise. (Fabian Schmidt)

 Copyright (c) 2001. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.

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