NGO: Leviathan and People's Patrols Responsible for Xenophobia toward Migrants

Migrants (Beta/Sasa Djordjevic)

The coalition for protecting the children of refugees and migrants from abuse and neglect warned on Dec. 10 that in the past year ago there had been a noticeable spike in xenophobia toward refugees on the part of the Leviathan Movement and the People's Patrols.

The members of said and similar organizations which espouse radical policies on refugees "have expanded their activities to other crimes such as persecuting refugees and migrants under the cover of the night on the streets of Serbian towns, open threats, but also calls for banding for the purpose of discrimination and violence," a statement said.

The coalition warned that the group was using intimidation techniques such as making videos of people dressed in black uniforms, armed with clubs, patrolling the streets and stopping people and verbally harrassing them and using threats to limit their freedom of movement.

"By tolerating this unallowable behavior by rightist organizations, the authorities are risking the creation of even further divisions in society which destroy democratic values such as respect for human rights and the rule of law," the coalition said.