The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (ZNM), the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) and the Council for Ethics in the Media of Macedonia (SEMM) condemn the speech that incites violence and stimulates gender discrimination that appeared on a platform channel these days "YouTube".

"We point out that freedom of speech implies responsibility and the existence of a high awareness of democratic principles and freedoms, rights and obligations in an open society. "When freedom of speech turns into or provokes criminal acts or any type of violation of civil and human rights, then it is not freedom but aggression and should be treated as such," said the journalistic associations.

"We point out that professional guild organizations will never accept this way of communication in the public space. Regardless of the fact that the persons, in this particular case, neither were nor are our members, we feel the need to warn that this may leave serious consequences for the public, especially the young audience. "Hate speech, as well as speech that incites violence and creates prejudice, is not and must not be normal in public communication," the statement said.

"In such situations, it is necessary for the competent institutions to take immediate measures in order to demonstrate that impunity is not tolerated in the case of gross abuse of public speech in the Internet space. Therefore, we welcome the quick and transparent reaction of the Ministry of the Interior and the Prosecutor's Office, and we expect that there will be a court procedure as soon as possible, which will show that this type of abuse is subject to sanctions", say the journalistic associations.

"In addition to this, we point out that the responsibility for who and what content is created for the audience rests with the companies that promote their products on such platforms through paid advertising. Advertisers should know that they have a social responsibility and that knowingly supporting such content makes them complicit in the promotion of distorted values ​​in the violation of civil rights. That is why it is necessary for them to publicly disassociate themselves from this kind of public narrative, to reconsider their cooperation and in the future to be careful where they advertise", the statement added.

Dragan Pavlovic – Latas was a guest on YouTuber Stefan Lazarov's podcast, during which Pavlovic shared that as a teenager he participated in sexually harassing and raping a girl, after which the two laughed about the "anecdote". The behavior of the two caused many reactions of disgust and condemnation on social networks.

An avalanche of reactions on social media after Latas' appearance on Stefan Lazarov's podcast: For both interviewees, rape is a source of fun and laughter