Far-right politics in Serbia

Far-right politics in Serbia emerged shortly before the break-up of Yugoslavia and has been present ever since. Its manifestation mostly focuses on national and religious factors.

In the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the far-right had a small amount of support, though politicians and groups alike existed. Milan Stojadinović, the prime minister of Yugoslavia from 1935 to 1939, saw fascism as an ideological role model for his premiership, while Milan Nedić, who was appointed prime minister of the puppet government in 1941, was a supporter of fascist ideas. Dimitrije Ljotić headed Zbor, a minor party that was inspired by Italian fascism. Ljotić cooperated with Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, who is viewed as an antisemite and a promoter of anti-Western sentiment. The Chetniks under Draža Mihailović, who collaborated with the Axis powers as early as in 1941, remained as an inspiration for modern far-right groups.

After the break-up of Yugoslavia, the far-right re-emerged, with the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), led by Vojislav Šešelj, gaining support after using sanctions, increased inflation, and high unemployed rate in their advantage to boost their support. SRS closely cooperated with Slobodan Milošević during the 1990s, although it also briefly served in opposition. During the Yugoslav Wars, far-right groups committed violence and acted as paramilitaries, such as the SRS-led White Eagles. After the overthrow of Milošević in 2000, attacks orchestrated by the far-right risen. In parliamentary politics, SRS won most votes in the 2003 and 2007 parliamentary election, campaigning on an anti-corruption platform. The Belgrade anti-gay riot, which occurred in October 2010, was organised by the far-right, including groups such as Obraz. The Constitutional Court later concluded a ban on Nacionalni stroj and Obraz, in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The far-right embraced opposition to immigration in the late 2010s, with parties and organisations such as Dveri, Levijatan, and People's Patrol embracing the sentiment. The Russian invasion of Ukraine helped far-right parties cross the electoral threshold in the 2022 parliamentary election.

In Serbia, the Christian right and neo-Nazi variants of the far-right exist. Far-right groups tend to be antisemitic and Islamophobic and they often promote conspiracy theories. They promote anti-communism, militarism and religious fanaticism. Some also have ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). The far-right often glorifies convicted war criminals like Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, while some groups also called for rehabilitation of collaborationists Nedić and Ljotić. The far-right has orchestrated violent protests and attacks against ethnic minorities, the LGBT community, activists, and non-governmental organisations, whom they label as "foreign mercenaries". The far-right promotes anti-Westernism, Euroscepticism, closer ties with Russia, and the return of Kosovo's sovereignty under Serbia. The unemployed working-class youth is often recruited by far-right groups; the far-right tends to present themselves as "patriotic" groups or as humanitarian organisations. Far-right groups are often small in number and have been institutionally marginal, though on Internet, far-right content has received large amounts of following.