Belgrade School Shooting Has Online Ripple Effect in Balkans

False reports and videos in Serbia

The mass shooting by a teenager at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Belgrade on May 3, in which eight students and a teacher were killed, sent shockwaves through society and was followed by online violations such as the circulation of fake footage, the invasion of victims' relatives' privacy and the proliferation of misinformation.

A man reacts as he walks past police officers blocking a street near the 'Vladislav Ribnikar' elementary school in Belgrade, Serbia, 03 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

The right to privacy of the families who were affected was violated by the tabloid website Republika, which on May 9 published a sensationalist report about the funeral proceedings, contravening Serbia's journalistic code and inflicting further anguish on the grieving families.

False reports also began to circulate on media websites and social networks. Unfounded claims emerged that a wounded teacher had also succumbed to their injuries, that vaccinated citizens were ineligible as blood donors, and that N1 TV had demanded the release of the suspect.

Days after the shooting, a video claiming to depict the school massacre was circulated on social media. The footage was shared widely on TikTok on May 6, but closer scrutiny revealed that it was not from Belgrade but had been taken during a different school shooting in the United States.

On May 6, another video surfaced on TikTok, purporting to show students from the school that was targeted in Belgrade bullying the perpetrator. Accompanied by captions insinuating that the footage captured the moments preceding the massacre or depicted the treatment that the perpetrator endured at the school, the video gained widespread...