Enthusiastic nationalism, a form of far-right extremism, is spreading in Kosovo, especially in the northern part of the country, and is posing a serious threat. Russia is also a promoter of this form of extremism with its disinformation.

This is according to the report "Fighting Extremism in Kosovo: Trends, Challenges and Countermeasures", which was published at the regional conference organized by Sbunker with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kosovo.

Executive Director at Sbunker, Bardhi Bakija, stated that extremism in Kosovo has focused more on religious radicalism, while right-wing extremism, ethno-nationalism, and anti-gender movements have been left aside.

Bakija says that far-right extremism is spreading with incredible speed in Kosovo.

“For too long, extremism in Kosovo has been framed as a security issue with a focus on religious radicalization, while right-wing extremism, ethno-nationalism and anti-gender movements have been marginalized as marginal concerns. The report we are presenting today challenges this view. Kosovo may not have had the same far-right mobilization as other European countries, but narratives, especially on social media, are spreading at an incredible speed. These are not just abstract ideas, they influence public discourse, shape our public debates and create the environment in which hate speech and exclusion become normalized. And we are now seeing it during this election campaign. What stands out in this research is how these narratives affect young people, from online bullying targeting minorities, women and LGBTIQ+ to the use of such platforms to spread misogynistic content. "The impact is real and extremism is embedded within everyday culture," says Bakija.

Meanwhile, Sbunker manager Alban Bokshi stated that in recent years there has been a rise in nationalist rhetoric and population as well as a stagnation of transitional justice processes.

He added that there is a return to the language and atmosphere of the 90s in the region.

"It seems that the Western Balkans region has a great attraction for these ideologies. Several international reports in recent years have raised concerns that democracy, human rights, reality and diversity of opinions, basic freedoms are threatened and declining in the region and there is even a return to the language and atmosphere of the 90s that preceded the wars in the former Yugoslavia. There is a rise in nationalist and populist rhetoric and stagnation of processes such as transitional justice. The lack of results leaves space and gaps that can be misused by extremist groups that feed the feeling of revenge, injustice and directly affect the rise of extremist ideologies," Bokshi emphasized.

Ronald Goldberg, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kosovo, said that the Sbunker project, with its focus on dialogue, early warning systems and community-based actions, serves as a beacon of hope and a model of progress.

Golberg emphasized that radicalism and extremism know no borders, therefore, as he stated, it is vital to combat these phenomena.

“Reconciliation between communities is not only a moral imperative, but a cornerstone of security and stability, although reconciliation requires much more than just words, it requires action, understanding and courage to face difficult things. This project emphasizes civic engagement to bring people together, to build bridges not walls and we believe it is key to the future of Kosovo... Equally vital is the work being done to prevent radicalism and violent extremism, these threats know no borders and they undermine the very fabric and tissue of our societies. The early warning approach that this project brings is both innovative and essential. By engaging stakeholders at the grassroots level and by collaborating with institutions, we build the resilience needed to stop and confront these threats. "One of the most important aspects of this project is the end product, an internet platform that will identify trends, the most important ideologies, the most important threats, while providing practical measures and toolkits to confront and combat extremism," he emphasized.

The report “Combating Extremism in Kosovo” identifies several forms of extremism in Kosovo, including ethno-nationalism, anti-gender narratives, religious extremism, anti-Islamic rhetoric, and political extremism.

The researcher and author of this report, Adelina Hasani, emphasized that far-right extremism is spreading in Kosovo and is expressed in two groups among Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.

"Right-wing extremism is also spreading in Kosovo. In Kosovo, as we understand it, ethno-nationalism is expressed in two groups, Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs, and this is understandable given the unresolved issues and legacies of the violent conflict of 1998-99 that have continued to dominate political discourse in both Kosovo and Serbia, hindering the possibility of reconciliation and moving forward. The lack of treatment with transitional justice, but also the failure to address the atrocities of the past, has made this happen. These narratives are often manipulated by different groups and feed these radical ideologies, and seeing this deepens the rapprochement between the two groups," Hassan emphasized.

According to this report, ethno-nationalist extremism manifested as a form of far-right extremism has become a threat to the security of Kosovo, especially in the north of the country.

The report says that Russia's disinformation campaign is also "pouring gasoline" into the ethno-nationalist conflict between Serbs and Albanians.

"Ethno-nationalist groups in the northern part of Kosovo have organized a terrorist attack and we know that the terrorist act 'Banjska' and then in 'Ibër-Lepenc' as the latest terrorist attack and these attacks are not only against the institutions of Kosovo or the sovereignty of Kosovo, but they also endanger the security of the Serbs themselves who live especially in the northern part of Kosovo. We also know how two organizations have been declared terrorist entities by the Kosovo authorities. Then, what fuels this whole ethno-nationalist conflict are the disinformation campaigns that will continue from Russia... These campaigns from Russia are given voice not only by the Serbian media but also by various platforms that have a critical role in the rise of ethno-nationalism and then also among Albanians. "From Russia, there are attempts to draw parallels between the Serbian minority in northern Kosovo and then the attacking minority living in Donbas, but then there are also these other narratives that aim to condemn Serbs from the north, increase the threat and fear of the Serbian community and then give voice to these ethno-nationalist narratives," she emphasized.

The report "Combating Extremism in Kosovo" states that anti-gender narratives are also being expressed more frequently in recent times.

"One of the forms that we have identified as a form of extremism that has the nuance of the gender right, anti-gender narratives, I'm not saying that they didn't exist in the past, but now we see them very often even in political entities and we have what are called anti-gender narratives that we have identified take different forms, but very often they attack or oppose same-sex marriages, and protest against abortion or what is the basic idea of ​​these anti-gender narratives," the report says.

The Sbunker report says that now in our country religious extremism is more sophisticated and expressed in smaller groups, unlike in the past.

Meanwhile, violent extremism among youth is a growing phenomenon in Kosovo.

"Religious extremism is expressed differently with the ideological level, they are very sophisticated, they do not come out in public spaces, because the security institutions are very strong against these, so the ideology is expressed in families and smaller groups. What we see as a threat, however, is to democratic values ​​and the entire society. Because we see that these narratives in many cases refer to religious ideologies. What is also worrying is that these narratives that come from different extremisms try to portray democracy as corrupt", stressed Hasani.

The regional conference, which is organized within the framework of the project "Fighting extremism in Kosovo: trends, challenges and countermeasures", will continue discussions with the second panel, which has as its topic "The far right in the Western Balkans: regional influences and transnational connections".