Extremist groups and organizations, such as skinheads, can be dangerous for the environment, but can hardly threaten the state and the internal order and cause any greater social troubles. Unlike them, the ultra-nationalist organizations like the 1389 movement can be very dangerous for the state order. These groups are centered on value systems. They are less dangerous at this moment, but very threatening in the long run. Their value system can attract different categories of young people and slowly create supporters, form political organizations, parties, or even enter those organizations, it does not matter. By doing this, they can slowly occupy important positions in the parliament or in the government. This is done subtly and slowly, it takes a long time to obtain a critical mass of supporters. We have seen this story many times on stage in fascist countries, the model has been exercised for a long time.
What are the odds that such organizations become a part of the Serbian government?
Quite big. These organizations in Serbia should not be underestimated at all. I fear that today’s government does not understand the level of threat they pose. It seems that the Serbian authorities tolerate them, which is a big mistake. Essentially all of these groups are based on chauvinism which they call the love for the Serbian people, and there is no love. The real name of this “patriotism” is a system of neo-fascist values. When you have an extreme love for one nation in a multinational country, you automatically create a partition on a national basis and cause anxiety and fear among ethnic minorities. Unfortunately, these courses of events have been influenced by many political parties with their reckless actions not analyzed at the time when national exaltation was flourishing. Even our hymn contains unacceptable references to members of other nations.
Are you talking about the support of political structures?
Numerous political parties with extreme national views, with highlighted and exaggerated patriotism, with the Serbs and Serbia above all, even above life, have contributed to the occurrence of these right-wing organizations. They are a natural phenomenon in countries with changing social systems, but did not have to obtain this size, number and intolerance towards all differences. Now they are slowly trying to gain supporters and enter the parliament, although none of them wants to say they are aiming at taking control. They have two important goals. The first is creating a “pure” Serbia and the second is correcting historical injustices against the Serbian people.
The above-mentioned organization are still far from making some serious progress, but the problem is that a great part of the Serbian intelligent public does not perceive that things are moving in that direction and there are political parties that support and use these groups to come to power. And if these parties really come to power, they will have to make concessions to those who helped them.
Similar patterns exist in European countries as well…
The West does not have something that is a peculiarity of Serbia – the synergy of the right-wing organizations and hooliganism, which includes the association with criminals by means of the supporting groups. The chain exists due to the fact that extreme football supporters are gathered around the drug trade. It is a criminal activity that carries a rather high level of violence everywhere in the world, so the young people are being thought violence in the supporting and hooligan groups.
Is there a danger from them to become armed?
The militant parts of right-wingers are working on arming them. How could we otherwise explain such a love towards the hooligan groups that are clearly armed? Such a combination of right-wing nationalist organization with hooligan groups gathered around drug crime is perhaps still present only in South America. Football clubs became involved as institutions because they are in many ways dependent on the supporting groups and organizations they created themselves. This symbiosis is a real threat to security, democracy and a normal life. It is a crowd of approximately 10,000 people and it should not be underestimated.
Can we talk about a new form of political behavior?
It is a form of a new political behavior. Take a look at the programs of extremist organizations and you’ll see that they are overwhelmed with politics. I am surprised by the close ideologues of these movements with certain parties run by normal people, but which can so easy befriend hooligan groups and use them when needed. I’m surprised that the state does not react strongly when some of these groups burn down the border crossings in Kosovo, but such action only results in a few articles in the press. I’m surprised by a longtime tolerance of criminal behavior of the leaders of these groups. The serious steps have been taken only after the death of a foreign citizen and the intervention of a government of one strong European country. But we focused only on this one case, imposed draconian punishments, with no clearly divided criminal liability. The crime in northern Kosovo has been growing for years and Serbia not only tolerates it but and even pays people from its budget.
Can the prohibition of extremist movements be a solution?
The prohibition exists in the whole world and Serbia needs to implement this, but it is not the only measure to be taken. One action does not mean anything. You can hunt them, but only as an excuse that you’re fighting. A whole system of measures needs to be developed, and we need to establish policies that will reduce the desire among people to belong to the neo-Nazi organizations. We need to reduce the everyday propaganda of chauvinist values through the media. This cannot be solved by criminal prosecution.