OSCE Mission reacted with a letter to the Council on Ethics in the media regarding the statement of Milenko Nedelkovski given at an event of “Civil Movement of Macedonia” on 26th of February in Kavadarci, as well as with his regular weekly broadcast on TV “Kanal 5”, reported today the Council through a written statement to the public, reports “Nova TV“.
“Nedelkovski’s remarks are continuation of negative practice of hate speech as part of his regular statements. OSCE Mission to Skopje is involved in projects against hate speech. If the media allows dissemination of such speech, then our effort are being compromised and underestimated,” reads the reaction of the OSCE Mission. Thus, the OSCE Mission to Skopje “refuses any contact with Nedelkovski and all media that provided a platform for him to express these terrible messages,” reads the statement of the Council.
In the reaction of OSCE, with its declaration that, many people, most of who are journalists and politicians, should “be buried deep and a thick, strong, reinforced concrete plate to be put over them so they wouldn’t have an effect on what is happening”, and with his other remarks, Nedelkovski exceeded the red line in hate speech, which is action that must not be tolerated.
Calling the Council for Ethics in media of Macedonia to consider the consequences of such statements, the OSCE Mission noted that there are limits to the freedom of speech and the exchange of different opinions when it threatens the right to live and physical integrity of others. Moreover, according to the OSCE, this is damaging to the moral education of future generations in the country.
