The Frenchman Arnaud, who has now taken up his new role delegated by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, has begun his work.
Arnaud Gouillon, a representative of the French far-right known for his racist views towards Kosovo, has a new role in the Serbian government—leading a team purportedly aimed at combating “fake news” about Serbia in global media. He is also known for his propaganda efforts.
He has continued in this vein under Vučić’s patronage, using the platform X to spread misinformation and propaganda.
This time, his target was to portray Kosovo and its people as extremists.
Through a video featuring the Dečani Monastery and a video of Swiss politician Sanije Ahmeti, the Frenchman labeled Kosovo as an extremist state.
“Say no to Kosovo Albanian extremism,” he wrote above the propaganda video about Kosovo.
The Office for Cultural and Public Diplomacy, officially established by the Serbian Government in May, still does not have a website or phone number, but it now has a director with grand plans.
Gouillon, born in France but with Serbian citizenship, a prominent member of the Serbian Progressive Party, has created a team to combat “fake news.” According to Gouillon, this team will send denials and opinion pieces.
“We want to make sure that those who are accustomed to publishing lies and negative aspects of events in the Balkans, including Serbia, know that they will receive responses every time and that there will be reactions,” said Gouillon.
By the end of the year, the “team should be ready” in English, French, and German, possibly also Italian.
“Each team will have several journalists who will either be locals of those countries or Serbs from the diaspora who were born there and understand the language and mentality of that country,” he added.
Serbian authorities led by President Aleksandar Vučić have repeatedly shown that they are sensitive and have thin skin when it comes to articles in prominent Western newspapers.
Articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, or those published by DË—let alone regional media—often lead to conspiracies, media conferences, and special broadcasts on Pink and Happy TV channels.
