If we want to solve a problem, we must first name it correctly . If a doctor wants to cure a patient of a disease, they must first correctly determine the diagnosis. In Slovakia, the situation is very critical and very confusing. So far, we have not correctly named the problem in the topic of hybrid warfare, nor have we correctly determined the diagnosis. I wrote about many related topics in this article in a previous post: Why is hateful Kremlin propaganda most successful in Slovakia?
In Slovakia, we are worse off than in Russia. In Russia, although awakened people with access to the Internet are in the minority, these people still call things by their real names. Not in Slovakia.
The Kotleba problem is not named by its proper name either.
Kotleba is not an entirely new phenomenon. The Slovak media and Slovak analysts have had enough time to come to the real problem with Kotleba. Yes, it is true that Kotleba and his people do, to some extent, adhere to Nazism, which is certainly bad and should be condemned. But this is far from the biggest problem, regardless of the label someone adheres to. It would be quite naive to think that if Kotleba had unlimited power, the first thing he would do is start creating concentration camps for Roma – he is not that radical.It is a huge mistake and a huge error to consider Kotleba a brilliant person who can manipulate people. He is not brilliant, he is an extremely stupid person, with very low intelligence, a wiped-out head, and psychopathic tendencies. Although it must be admitted that Kotleba can sometimes have brilliant moves – sometimes his head really turns on (for example, with the draft law on limiting abortions, he very effectively took away preferences from the Christian parties OĽANO and KDH).
I would summarize Kotleba's personality as follows: first of all, he is a very unintelligent person, secondly, a person with psychopathic tendencies, and thirdly, an occasional genius, which is an extremely dangerous combination.
The problem with Kotleba is not the label he adheres to, but the fact that if he were to actually come to power, he would start doing insane things that would destabilize the whole of Slovakia and bring it to its knees diplomatically and economically. And Kotleba's people are even more psychopathic, stupid, and imbecilic than Kotleba himself – they would do even more insane things to Slovakia than Kotleba himself. I really don't like Richard Sulík's stance, who sees only one problem behind Kotleba, that he would indebt Slovakia more – very sad – one big schizophrenia.
Kotleba's voters themselves have never thought about what would happen if Kotleba really came to power, and that is why the media should raise awareness and draw attention to this matter.
Due to the fatal failure of the media, which cannot call things by their true name, we can then be very surprised that Kotleba's popularity will grow.
Information has leaked that Kotleba is financially supported by Russia, more here . The Russians perceive the West as an enemy, and they consider Slovakia, as a member of the EU, to be part of the West. Therefore, they would be very pleased with the destabilization and destruction of Slovakia by the unpredictable psychopath Kotleba and his people.
A typical practice of disinformation media: insidious and aggressive taking out of context
Activist Juraj Smatana, Denník N and Denník SME fight exclusively against fake news and hoaxes, which is a big mistake because it is far from enough. Yes, it is true that fake news rarely occurs here and there, but not on a daily basis. The thing that is really the essence and daily practice of pro-Kremlin media, in addition to hatred, is the insidious and malicious tearing of information out of context. This is insidious in that you cannot directly accuse the author of lying or creating fake news. Even with true information, it is possible to turn good into evil, truth into lies, black into white, white into black, evil into good, and good into evil.In this way, we can even make an angel out of Hitler: we will ignore how he divided Poland with Stalin, we will ignore the fact that concentration camps ever existed here, but we will focus only on the good things Hitler did. In the media, we will bombard people exclusively with positive information, such as how Hitler had a good social reform, but we will fanatically ignore everything negative about him. Pro-Kremlin media are so extremely aggressive in taking things out of context that this example with Hitler is not exaggerated at all.
Serious media always try to be objective and always try to take into account opinions from both sides.
Solving this problem
The media are not fulfilling their duty at all. They think that if they ignore alternative media, it will be a solution. They have not learned from the Kotleba phenomenon. They are making exactly the same mistake as with Kotleba. Until this man got into parliament, they pretended he didn't exist. They are now pretending that alternative websites don't exist.So that the media doesn't wake up too late when Harabin becomes president, or at least gets into the second round.
No, Russian propaganda is strong – Kremlin propaganda only takes advantage of the inaction, passivity, and lethargy of serious media that do not fulfill their role.
Pro-Kremlin media must be responded to. Aggressive one-sided propaganda must be balanced with information from the other side of the coin. Currently, these media do not do this at all. I talk about this issue and solutions in more detail in this lecture: The psychological basis of foreign (geopolitical) propaganda in our country. Huge differences in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
The media should react more to hateful disinformation propaganda. It is not right to name specific disinformation media/websites by name (although in some individual cases it may be appropriate), because this could mean legitimizing and indirectly promoting these media. A more appropriate approach is to label disinformation media as a whole – "this is currently being spread in them" and it needs to be refuted. A very quick reaction from the media is very important while the hoax is current. People then quickly forget the hoax once it is no longer current, but the emotions remain in them (for example, who would remember the Alfie Evans case today, but the emotions of hatred against the West remained in people).
The creation of Facebook groups that will monitor not only hoaxes but also hatred and aggressive malicious taking out of context.
I see this as very important. Such activities are sorely lacking. It would be very good if ordinary people helped the administrator of such a FB group to find such content. Collecting hateful content would also help lawyers, who could analyze it and file lawsuits or criminal complaints.Legal solutions
Although the government can pass laws that will allow for more effective punishment of disinformation media, this is not really necessary. The current laws are not bad, it is more important that the civic public is more active, that people themselves file criminal complaints and are not so passive against the hateful machinery.It is very sad that I have not seen a blog of any lawyer who would try to find a legal solution for hateful disinformation propaganda. It's time to wake up from passivity.
Although I am not a lawyer, I think that many hate speeches and systematic attacks on opinion opponents can be qualified as a criminal offense – hatred against a group of persons. This is a very strict paragraph – the same paragraph as racism, paragraphs 423 and 424 of the Criminal Code http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2005-300#p423
The hated group of people are those who reject aggressive, hateful Kremlin propaganda. It can be an individual against whom such hatred is spread.
Disinformation media can be classified as organized crime, which systematically spreads hatred in the long term. A debater who grossly insults an opponent, even if they do not directly work in a hateful medium, is an accomplice to organized crime.
Hate disinformation media can also be classified as an extremist group.
§ 421 – § 422 Establishment, support and promotion of a movement aimed at suppressing fundamental rights and freedoms, Expression of sympathy for a movement aimed at suppressing fundamental rights and freedoms. As a person who criticizes hateful Kremlin propaganda, I feel psychologically bullied, blackmailed, and I clearly think that haters prevent me from expressing myself freely, they prevent me from freedom of speech. Disinformation media, for example, also make no secret of wanting to ban and silence activist Juraj Smatana. Some hateful Kremlin media make no secret of supporting Stalinism, and therefore these paragraphs apply to them.
§ 422b Dissemination of extremist materials, § 422c Possession of extremist materials. Part of the content of websites, radio broadcasts of Kremlin media and various hateful statements on social networks can be clearly perceived as extremist material.
Destabilization of Slovak society in cooperation with the Russian government (which does not hide its official hostile attitude towards EU countries, mainly through 100% government-controlled media), mind manipulation by propaganda, people have gone completely crazy under the influence of propaganda, which is so serious that the term treason is not an exaggeration at all! I could imagine Huďa, Lichtner, Koroni, and Sopko being convicted of treason and undermining the security of the Slovak Republic without the slightest problem!! http://www.zakonypreludi.sk/zz/2005-300#cast2-hlava7-diel1
I think that some Slovak citizens work for troll farms, and if they could prove it, the paragraph on treason could be applied to them in full.
Hate media harms people's mental health, which is a crime. Many desperate comments I read on my YouTube channels don't need further elaboration. They turn people into psychological wrecks and desperate individuals full of hatred, incapable of using reason. I believe that expert scientific research or a legal opinion from a group of psychologists and sociologists could be relevant to the court.
Establishment of a non-governmental organization
The establishment of a non-governmental legal organization will be tasked with analyzing hateful content and subsequently filing lawsuits and criminal complaints. This organization will be severely tested, and it will be the target of the most severe attacks from the hateful disinformation machinery. The existence of such an organization may be necessary in a covert, unofficial, anonymous mode, using anonymous criminal complaints. The madness and aggression of these fools truly know no bounds.A private detective agency could hypothetically also find something out.
The Role of Secret Services
Since hate media are an organized crime, the secret services, the Slovak Information Service and Military Intelligence, have not only the right but also the duty to spy on our Slovak traitors without restriction.European secret services should cooperate intensively in finding EU citizens who work for Russian troll farms. I am afraid that the Slovak secret services alone will not be enough. Cooperation with US secret services would also be very beneficial.
Special role of the media: publishing hoaxes from Russian media
This step would bring a true and real revolution to Slovakia. Russian state-controlled media spread hateful hoaxes and other hate speech against EU countries and the USA dozens of times every day. The best thing to do would be to create headlines for a short segment of a Russian television broadcast. If every Slovak media outlet published one such hoax every day, even the most radical extremists would start to realize that no good comes from Russia or the Kremlin, and they would begin to view Putin and the Kremlin with much more skepticism and less credulity. It would be a true national revival of the Slovak nation, when people would stop believing in the hateful machinery of disinformation websites.A completely ordinary day on Russian television looks something like this:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
The Aeronet Disinformation Website Solution
How is it possible that the editor-in-chief of a disinformation website, who is fleeing criminal prosecution in Slovakia, is not identified by the Slovak Secret Service and extradited to the Czech Republic to serve his just sentence in prison?This is a complete and fatal failure of the Slovak secret services, which are not fulfilling their role at all. They are not even bothered by the fact that this person is committing treason against the Slovak Republic.
https://www.facebook.com/smatana/posts/10215848094024943?__tn__=-R
https://medialne.etrend.sk/internet/konspiratori-si-vymysleli-neexistujuceho-agenta-sorosa-ma-organizovat-revolucie.html
Trolling
A large part of the debaters may not be paid trolls, as propaganda in Slovakia is very strong and many people believe it sincerely.In my opinion, paid trolls also exist, and most of them do it not only for money but also for sincere conviction.
Indirect evidence that there are also paid trolls is that many debaters show signs of psychological burnout – it is a very mentally exhausting profession to bombard social networks and YouTube with hateful comments from morning to night.
Not all trolls necessarily have fake accounts. They can also be people who are paid and act under their real name. This also needs to be taken into account.
In no case can the power of trolling – paid debaters – be underestimated. It is a very effective mind manipulation technique. The role of professional trolls is to comment on the content, mainly as soon as possible. The first posts must be taken over by professional trolls, and then further trolling is not necessary. Trolls determine the direction of the discussion. The element of copying is extremely strongly fixed in the human psyche. People are very easily manipulated and change their opinion according to the opinion of the apparent "majority". This is crowd behavior, crowd psychosis. It is very strongly fixed in the human psyche that people never want to go against the current, against the opinion of the majority. It very quickly becomes normal for people that hating is normal, although in reality it is not normal, and they themselves get drawn into crowd psychosis.
There are absolutely amazing documentary film segments on this topic. It is fascinating evidence of how effective trolling can be on public opinion.
Easily Influenced Human Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-er0oHWax8
Very intensive cooperation with Ukraine in the fight against propaganda
Unfortunately, the language barrier is a big problem, and despite being neighboring states, our mental worlds are very different. It would be good if an organization of Slovak-Ukrainian friendship were established, aiming to combat Kremlin propaganda in Slovakia. The Ukrainian side would be tasked with studying the psychology of the Slovak nation and finding the reasons why we believe in propaganda, as well as seeking solutions to free us from it. More Ukrainians should learn the Slovak language and strive to master it well. Intensive cooperation with Slovak media is important. Ukrainians should create a special press agency in Slovakia that will refute Russian propaganda. It is very important that there are people in Slovakia who will have a very strong motivation to fight against Russian propaganda. It would be good if Ukrainians living in Slovakia also cooperated closely with their branch in Ukraine.Furthermore, it would be good if the Ukrainian media also reported in detail on the crisis situation in Slovakia, because in Slovakia, no one understands the idea that Kremlin propaganda is a problem here.
Only time can effectively eliminate subversive Kremlin propaganda.
People are very passive towards this evil. But the greatest friend of good and truth is time. Time changes everything. Such hateful madness as Kremlin propaganda cannot exist for long. Kremlin propaganda is something very similar to a fashion trend – it is currently "in", it is modern and it is considered "progressive" to believe in Kremlin propaganda. But this fashion trend will eventually fall away from people. Soon it will cease to be "sexy".The peak of Kremlin propaganda's success in Slovakia was in 2016. Since then, its popularity has been declining, albeit slowly and gradually. I also observe a slow awakening of people, and those who fell for the hateful propaganda are gradually waking up.
It takes patience. In about 10 years, Kremlin propaganda will be considered a great evil in the Slovak mentality, and perhaps even in Russia, the political system will change for the better.
The enthusiasm, determination, passion, and aggression of the Kremlin's useful idiots will gradually decline, and these poor souls will gradually realize what kind of shit they have fallen for.
The time will come when the useful idiots of Kremlin propaganda will hide in the sewers because they will be ashamed of their past.
If they see themselves in the mirror as they fought for Kremlin propaganda in the past, they will be horrified.
Defectors who have started fighting on the opposite side, such as Peter Králik, are also a major blow to disinformation media.
Unfortunately, what can temporarily and drastically increase the popularity of pro-Kremlin propaganda are the presidential elections to be held in 2019. The conspiracy theorist half-madman Harabin will have a lot of space in TV debates to present Kremlin propaganda.
A new way of very effective economic sanctions against Russia by the USA and the EU
Top expert Mikhail Romancov says about the Russian mentality that it is pointless to discuss with Russians, as Russians only understand the language of force. I would like to start from this point. However, I am by no means thinking of a military solution.Europe can "blackmail" Russia with SWIFT by stopping this service for Russia for a week. It can do so repeatedly as needed. Slovakia/Europe buys oil from Russia, and therefore, a long-term suspension of SWIFT would harm Europe.
Another solution is that SWIFT will be functional for payments for oil and gas.
The US, in turn, can put pressure on Russia just as effectively through MasterCard and VISA payment cards, both of which are American companies. First, it is necessary to suspend payments for two days, and then it will be possible to negotiate much more effectively with Russia diplomatically. If Russia does not meet the demands of the West, the several-day intervals of payment card suspension will be repeated, and depending on the severity, the number of days and the frequency of suspension may change.
The EU and US requirements for this type of sanctions should be absolutely clear: Russia should stop undermining the West with its annoying propaganda and should also stop perceiving the West as an enemy. The fact that the Kremlin perceives the West as an enemy is proven by state-controlled domestic media, through which television stations bombard their viewers with hatred towards the West every day.
The role of the church vs. hatred on social networks
The Church still has a great influence and it is also its duty to do something about the bad situation in Slovakia. The Church also has its role in the hybrid war. The role of the Church is not to interfere in politics, but it should not be indifferent to the hatred of Kremlin propaganda. The Church should express itself on hatred on social networks. It would be good if the bishops of the Catholic and Evangelical churches jointly issued an official statement condemning hatred and the aggressive assertion of opinions on social networks. The Church should change its priorities in pastoral care and evangelization. Many Christians are also drawn into hateful propaganda and write hateful comments on Facebook. And it is precisely these people that the Church should focus on.Furthermore, many influential Christian preachers or priests should sign and present an official statement in which they express the crisis of society and call on people to stop hating each other because of their opinions.
The Church is still very passive and inactive in this area and is not fulfilling its duty at all.
Many Christian activists could do a lot in this area.
Of course, it is also necessary to point out the other side of the coin, that it is precisely the hateful Kremlin propaganda and Christian conservatives who are in the same boat – often also in the area of hatred. They are united by their hatred of the LGBT community, they are united by conspiracies and they see a fictional enemy behind LGBT.
Many religious fanatics see a problem with the Istanbul Convention but do not see a problem with the hatred on social networks. They also do not mind the hateful way in which propaganda was promoted for the 2015 referendum.
History repeats itself: in the past, the West initially underestimated Hitler, today the West underestimates Putin.
We know that Western countries, the USA or Great Britain, initially behaved very passively towards Hitler. Churchill allegedly even believed that Hitler would conquer Russia and planned to consider Hitler as a partner. Similarly, today we see problems of an unclear and passive attitude of the West towards Russia. While in the 20th century it was mainly a war with weapons, today in the 21st century it will mainly be a hybrid war, a war for the mind of every inhabitant and politician of a Western state, a struggle between secret services and a fight against troll farms.It will take some time for Western politicians and secret services to wake up and start taking highly systemic and effective steps in the hybrid war.
The secret services should be completely reformed and rebuilt from the ground up. 80% of the money and people of the secret services of Western countries should be dealing with hybrid warfare – only then can the West say: "we are ready for hybrid warfare"
Related article: The Lure of Moscow: The EU's Chief Diplomat is Ashamed of the Fight Against Russian Propaganda. Yet it falls under her purview https://www.info.cz/svet/vabeni-moskvy-sefka-diplomacie-eu-se-stydi-za-boj-proti-ruske-propagande-spada-pritom-pod-ni-31033.html
Related article: https://filozofia.nett.to/politika/sk/ludia-pravdu-o-rusku-nikdy-nepoculi-zakladna-charakteristika-ruska#section:v-rusku-je-pestovan-modifikovan-vylep-en-nacizmus