Over the last two months, since the story of the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion began, all activities have been followed by a coordinated and well thought-out campaign aimed at confusing the public, said Mr Milan Jovanovič from Digital and Forensic Center of the Atlantic Association of Montenegro.
“Introduction to protests and the chaos in the Parliament was a two-month long campaign in Serbian media. In the lead-up-to the voting process, media released false information that high official of Police Department slapped Prime Minister, Mr Duško Marković. Ever since 1998. Those fake stories have served to demonstrate that there’s no consensus on the key questions of national security”, said Mr Jovanović.
He points out that this isn’t just about the church property, but this is also a narrative aimed at bringing Montenegrin independence into question.
“Denying symbols, opposing flags, narrative that Montenegro consists of four sections, and fake news that Montenegro complained to NATO due to desecration of national flag, prove that this church issue is much wider than we see it”, says Mr Jovanović.
Unlike earlier campaigns conducted in similar situations, this time communication with public is held in real time.
“Failing to take any security measures when Montenegrin embassy was attacked was very evident, although Mr Vučić told untruth that thousands of police officers were protecting the building”, stresses Mr Jovanović.
“Such fake information just fuel the tensions and incite those who call on the radicalization. Calls for violence, stirring up hatred, have been published on IN4S portal. Agency for the Electronic Media initiated procedure for the identification of physical persons and legal entities accountable for posting illegal contents on the portal”, says Mr Jovanović.
He reminds that release of rampant misinformation on FOS Media portal that ROSU members will be at Montenegro’s disposal on day before Christmas provoked numerous negative comments and sharp reaction of the prosecutor’s office and police.
“This time, social media pages sharing the so-called mini content served their purpose. Another fake news, regarding the alleged explosion in Villa Gorica, found its way to wider public yesterday. Fortunately, police reacted promptly, explaining on its Twitter account that it was just a minor electric failure”, says Mr Jovanović.
