An awful truth we don't pay much attention to: "Social networking" sites like Facebook are being used to foment hatred and actual violence

In case you don't read Serbian, the crucial text of this poster, recently posted all around central Belgrade, is translated below.

by Ken

When it comes to Facebook and Atwitter and all those other newfangled social-networking-type websites, it could be that nobody on the planet knows less than I do -- with, always, the exception of Young Johnny McCranky, who's still on the far side of the mysteries of the Google. But from our friend Andy at the invaluable UK Gay News website, we've got a true stomach-churner of a story: Serbian hate groups have been using Facebook to foment violence, including death threats, against gays.

Even with the update at the top of the story, carrying the news that Facebook finally responded to terrified pleas and zapped the two immediately offending groups (and "others are being investigated," according to another UK Gay News report), this remains one scarifying story:

Please Protect Us, Serbian Gays Plead: Death Threats, Attacks Faced as Facebook Fails to Remove Two Hate Groups

NOTE: The two “gay hate” groups mentioned here have now been removed by Facebook - added December 27 at 18:00. Click HERE for report.

BELGRADE, December 25, 2008 – Please protect us. That is the plea tonight from gays and lesbian in Serbia to their government, the police and the wider world this holiday season.

The staff and contributors of the Serbian gay and lesbian website Querria Centre, are constantly receiving death threats and threats of physical violence, it emerged this evening.

“Every day threats are being sent to the website’s official email address to the effect that the website is going to be hacked, that we are sick people who should be treated, that all of us (LGBT population) should be killed,” said Predrag Azdejković, the editor of Queeria and one of the main targets.

“Such threats are also posted among the comments made on the website.”

BELGRADE, December 25, 2008 – Please protect us. That is the plea tonight from gays and lesbian in Serbia to their government, the police and the wider world this holiday season.

The staff and contributors of the Serbian gay and lesbian website Querria Centre, are constantly receiving death threats and threats of physical violence, it emerged this evening.

“Every day threats are being sent to the website’s official email address to the effect that the website is going to be hacked, that we are sick people who should be treated, that all of us (LGBT population) should be killed,” said Predrag Azdejković, the editor of Queeria and one of the main targets.

“Such threats are also posted among the comments made on the website.”

The report goes on to identify the two Facebook groups, adding, "Both are 'open groups.'"

Members of both groups are publicly advocating death threats to the activists at Queeria, whose photographs, Queeria say, are circulating among the members of both groups.

Additionally, the groups are advocating breaking and entering the Queeria Centre premises, as well as the homes of gay activists.

The groups suggest violence against all gays and lesbians population.

“A week ago," the report notes, "posters [reproduced above] were put up in the centre of Belgrade by the nationalist group, Naši (Ours), that said:

“While Serbs are being laid off, look who is being financed by Boris Tadić [the Serbian president] and the government of Serbia. The Serbian Ministry of Culture, within its remit for projects in the field of public information, has recently granted 256,500.00 dinars for the website of a faggots organization - Queeria Centre - which is promoting faggots’ rights and slandering the Serbian Orthodox Church in the most despicable way. Is this what the democrats had been promising before the elections? The association Naši.”.

To all of this, and a good deal of other steadily rising Serbian anti-gay hate-mongering, Predrag Azdejković says, “The police and the Public Attorney showed no reaction."

“It is our opinion that by keeping silent the national authorities of the Republic of Serbia support violence against the gay and lesbian population and activists of gay and lesbian rights groups, and thus provide homophobic forces in this country with an additional impetus,” he charged.

“We are asking national and international human rights NGOs to raise their voices in this case with similar vehemence like in cases when threats are directed to non-gay human rights activists."

What we all need to do: Be aware, spread the word, and raise a stink.

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