Nationalist “Hijacking” of Student Protests – Case Study of the Telegram Channel “BUNT je stanje duha”

This case study analyses the role of the Telegram channel “BUNT je stanje duha” (Eng. “REBELLION is a State of Mind”) in the discursive reshaping of student protests in Serbia. Drawing on the methodological framework of critical discourse analysis, the paper explores the strategies by which extreme digital speech is camouflaged, normalised, and introduced into legitimate arenas of political action. Special attention is given to the adoption of alt-right aesthetics – including irony, memes, and cultural codes – as a means of legitimising and promoting ethnonationalist narratives. Through such subtle tactics, far-right ideological positions move out of the margins and gain visibility within the broader protest framework. The analysis shows that “BUNT”’s discursive intervention aims not only at delegitimising liberal-democratic actors but also at transforming civic resistance into a symbolic struggle for a nationalist order. By relying on emotionally charged and dehumanising messages, fabricated “infiltrated elements,” and imaginary threats, the channel seeks to undermine the democratic character of the protests and to narrow the space for political and identity pluralism. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the complex dynamics of radicalisation within the interplay between digital extremist cultures and contemporary social movements.