Original article (in Serbian) was published on 21/5/2026; Author: Stefan Kosanović
Several Serbian tabloids have published a photograph they claimed showed banners supporting students in Belgrade at a protest held by Albanian students in Skopje. The image quickly spread through articles published by Informer, Alo, Novosti, 24sedam and other web portals, accompanied by claims that the protests in North Macedonia represented support for the “blockaders” and were part of a broader “colored revolution.” However, one of the students appearing in the photograph told Raskrikavanje that the banner shown in the image never existed and that none of the protesters carried it. The disputed photograph, which was most likely created using artificial intelligence, originated from a video posted on TikTok by Saša Borojević, an SNS member of the Belgrade City Assembly.
Several tabloids today published, almost simultaneously, a photograph they claimed showed banners from a protest held by Albanian students in Skopje on Monday.
Albanian students once again took to the streets of Skopje demanding the right to take the bar exam in Albanian. Raskrikavanje reported in early April on a similar protest organized over the same issue, when some tabloids linked the students’ demands to the idea of a “Greater Albania.”
According to Serbian tabloids, banners bearing the Albanian-language messages “Students Win” and “Support for Students in Belgrade” were allegedly seen during the protest.
“It has been clear for the past year and a half that the so-called colored revolution in Serbia was entirely imported from abroad and is the product of foreign intelligence services,” portal 24sedam wrote, going on to disparage Serbian students in several ways, even referring to them as terrorists.
Informer published an article under the headline: “Albanian Separatists in Macedonia Supported the Blockaders – Here’s the Proof.”
However, the “proof” used by the tabloids is entirely fake.
While it is impossible to determine with certainty whether the image was created using Photoshop or artificial intelligence tools, it is clear that the banners shown in the photograph are not authentic.
Details within the image itself strongly suggest that it was either generated or additionally manipulated using AI tools, particularly the hands holding the lower banner. They appear in unnatural positions, and in some cases it is not even clear to whom they belong.
This was confirmed by one of the protest participants, Skopje student Mevlan Ademi, who appears in the photograph circulating in Serbian pro-government tabloids. He told Raskrikavanje that he never carried the banner shown in the image.
“With this kind of manipulation, they are trying to provoke hostility toward students in Serbia. By linking them to Albanian students from North Macedonia, they are trying to undermine support for the protests,” Ademi told Raskrikavanje.
Raskrikavanje also reviewed dozens of videos and photographs from this week’s protest published on social media and in the media, but none showed banners like those appearing in the image shared by the tabloids.
Almost identical articles featuring the same manipulated photograph were published within minutes of each other by Informer, Alo, Novosti and B92, while portals 24sedam and NS Uživo later expanded on the same narrative.
Although this was not clearly stated in the articles, the image of the disputed banners was taken from a TikTok video posted by Saša Borojević, known for spreading conspiracy theories and who became a member of the Belgrade City Assembly on the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ticket in the last elections.
In the video, Borojević claims that “many citizens from Macedonia sent him footage yesterday from the protests of Albanian students,” before highlighting the photograph that, according to him, “caused particular concern.”
“I think this is very bad if nobody comes out and says they reject this kind of support. Support from UCK killers is not needed!” said the SNS member of the Belgrade City Assembly. The post has recorded more than 160,000 views on TikTok alone.
The photograph may have been a response to posters that recently appeared in North Macedonia calling for support for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
North Macedonia’s Social Democratic Union (SDSM) accused the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party of organizing the travel of North Macedonian citizens to a rally in support of Vučić in Belgrade on May 23, calling it a “shameful interference in the internal affairs of another country” and adding that “Macedonia is under constant pressure and influence from Serbian and Russian services.”
VMRO-DPMNE is a right-wing, conservative and nationalist party that has for years been one of the two dominant political forces in North Macedonia. The party is known for its strong Macedonian nationalist narrative, hardline stance on identity issues and repeated accusations from the opposition of authoritarian rule, particularly during the leadership of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
After losing power, Gruevski fled to Hungary in November 2018, where he was granted political asylum with the support of Viktor Orbán. He sought asylum after being sentenced in North Macedonia to two years in prison for corruption, while additional convictions were later handed down against him.
“Hungary is not a dumping ground for internationally wanted criminals,” Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, told reporters, explicitly referring to Gruevski.
