"Progress made, but hate speech still present"

Serbia has made progress in the area of protection of equality, but minority groups are still the target of hate speech, a conference in Belgrade heard.

Izvor: B92

Friday, 19.10.2012.

18:06

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BELGRADE Serbia has made progress in the area of protection of equality, but minority groups are still the target of hate speech, a conference in Belgrade heard. The "Media and Equality" event was organized on Friday by the country's Gender Equality Ombudsman Nevena Petrusic, in cooperation with the EU. "Progress made, but hate speech still present" Addressing the conference, she noted that while legal norms were present, this was insufficient, as it was also necessary for the society itself to "de-stimulate discrimination", while the media play a key role in this: "We wish to send a clear message to everyone that we want a society of true, rather than formal equality, that we want a tolerant society that not only offers everyone equal rights but also opportunities, a society that respects otherness and differences." According to Petrusic, progress has been made since 2000, but there was still room for improvement. One of Serbia's deputy PMs, Suzana Grubjesic, also addressed the gathering, to say that it was important for personal positions not to endanger others who seek to realize their personal freedoms: "These are the values that we must propagate together and affirm through the media as well, but not only once a year. It's a process, not an event. I firmly believe that we all must work on this." EU representative in Serbia Vincent Degert also took part in the conference to say that the country was "on the right path", but that that minority groups still faced hate speech, which at times escalated, and gave the example of a recent incident during a football match in Krusevac: "We can say that the condemnation of top authorities is happening, but what should happen afterwards is some answer from the judiciary, that is for legal procedures to be conducted and for a firm and irrevocable ruling at the end of that process. The role of the media is to follow up whether there had been an adequate reaction from the authorities, and then whether the judiciary did its job." Nevena Petrusic (B92) B92

"Progress made, but hate speech still present"

Addressing the conference, she noted that while legal norms were present, this was insufficient, as it was also necessary for the society itself to "de-stimulate discrimination", while the media play a key role in this:

"We wish to send a clear message to everyone that we want a society of true, rather than formal equality, that we want a tolerant society that not only offers everyone equal rights but also opportunities, a society that respects otherness and differences."

According to Petrušić, progress has been made since 2000, but there was still room for improvement.

One of Serbia's deputy PMs, Suzana Grubješić, also addressed the gathering, to say that it was important for personal positions not to endanger others who seek to realize their personal freedoms:

"These are the values that we must propagate together and affirm through the media as well, but not only once a year. It's a process, not an event. I firmly believe that we all must work on this."

EU representative in Serbia Vincent Degert also took part in the conference to say that the country was "on the right path", but that that minority groups still faced hate speech, which at times escalated, and gave the example of a recent incident during a football match in Kruševac:

"We can say that the condemnation of top authorities is happening, but what should happen afterwards is some answer from the judiciary, that is for legal procedures to be conducted and for a firm and irrevocable ruling at the end of that process. The role of the media is to follow up whether there had been an adequate reaction from the authorities, and then whether the judiciary did its job."

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