Far-right messages in the city center

A couple of days ago, on the 17th of May 2021 in the park near the Faculty of Economics, lampposts and benches were covered with far-right antirefugees’ propaganda flyers. They were caring the message: “Stop fake refugees!” This came after a brief and relatively calm period and it is obvious now that far-right organizations are again regular in promoting hate and fear among the citizens that are not familiar with the situation in which the refugees are living.   

On one of the flyers there is a crossed silhouette of a man with a gun, referring to widespread fear of young and fiscally strong men capable and willing to fight in the war, disguised in the refugees. However, the people crossing our territory are fleeing their countries exactly because they don’t want to carry guns and go to war, and because of that they were threatened by uncertain life conditions or even death. Particularly this is the reason why we should strive to stop the spreading of false narratives, and make the general public familiar with the reality of on-ground happenings and the wider framework of this human rights crisis.  

Even though today in this situation the central issue is the one of skin color and religion, these far-right voices were also promoting antirefugees’ narratives in the nineties against people coming to Serbia from ex-Yugoslavia republics.

We must fight these far-right social tendencies. The fight against fascism implies that we perceive all people as equal and that we recognize when some of us need help and support.