{{Short description|Serbian politician (born 1982)}} {{Infobox office holder | name = Pavle Bihali | native_name = Павле Бихали | image = Pavle Bihali.jpg | caption = Bihali in 2020 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|1|29|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Belgrade]], [[Socialist Republic of Serbia|SR Serbia]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] | occupation = {{hlist|Activist|politician}} | relatives = [[Oto Bihalji-Merin]] (grand-uncle) | party = [[Leviathan Movement]] }} {{Far-right politics in Serbia}} '''Pavle Bihali Gavrin''' ({{Lang-sr-Cyrl|Павле Бихали Гаврин}}, born 29 January 1982) is a [[Serbia|Serbian]] [[Far-right politics in Serbia|far-right]] politician, animal rights activist, and the leader of the neo-fascist [[Leviathan Movement]].
== Early life == Bihali was born in 1982 in [[Belgrade]] into a [[History of the Jews in Serbia|Serbian-Jewish]] family.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=PAVLE BIHALI IZ LEVIJATANA NAJAVLJUJE UČEŠĆE NA IZBORIMA! To mu nije prvi put, već je bio s Bogoljubom Karićem!|url=https://www.espreso.rs/vesti/politika/509707/pavle-bihali-iz-levijatana-najavljuje-ucesce-na-izborima-to-mu-nije-prvi-put-vec-je-bio-s-bogoljubom-karicem|access-date=2020-06-09|website=espreso.rs|language=sr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kuce, mace, dva Pavla i srpska desnica* {{!}} B92 Blog|url=http://blog.b92.net/text/28946/Kuce-mace-dva-Pavla-i-srpska-desnica/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=B92}}</ref> According to the official documents, his grandfather, {{Interlanguage link multi|Pavle Bihali (writer)|sr|3=Павле Бихали|lt=Pavle Bihali}}, a Communist writer and translator and the founder of the Nolit publishing house, was executed by the [[Gestapo]] in 1941 during the [[Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia|Nazi German occupation of Serbia]] during [[World War II]]; however, he claims that the [[League of Communists of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav communists]] killed him.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Lazić|first=Anđelija|date=2018-10-04|title=NASLEDNIK NOLITA OTVORENO O NAŠOJ SRAMOTI: Dedu su mi streljali pre skoro 80 godina, a sada ga ubija zaborav|url=https://www.dnevno.rs/istorija/zanimljivosti-iz-istorije/naslednik-nolita-otvoreno-o-nasoj-sramoti-dedu-su-mi-streljali-pre-skoro-80-godina-a-sada-ga-ubija-zaborav/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Dnevno.rs|language=hr}}</ref> He is the grand-nephew of the late [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]], and Serbian academic, [[Oto Bihalji-Merin]].<ref name=":1" /> As a child, he played a minor role in a Serbian TV series, ''[[Srećni ljudi]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=(VIDEO) VOĐA LEVIJATANA GLUMIO U SREĆNIM LJUDIMA: Bio sam mali Mitrović, koji je mučio Necu|url=https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/drustvo/2668799/voda-levijatana-glumio-u-srecnim-ljudima-bio-sam-mali-mitrovic-koji-je-mucio-necu|access-date=2020-06-10|website=kurir.rs|language=sr}}</ref> In 2004, he was a candidate of the [[Strength of Serbia Movement]] for the local elections.<ref name=":0" />
== Leviathan == In 2015, he founded the [[Leviathan Movement]], an [[Animal rights organizations|animal right organization]]. Since then, the organization quickly got attention and it became the largest animal rights organization in [[former Yugoslavia]]. In 2016, the movement became popular when videos of the members of organization rescuing animals showed up on social media, as well as videos of them offering compensation for information on [[Animal Abuse|animal abusers]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-29|title=Razvojni put Levijatana: Od brige za pse do potere za migrantima|url=https://www.istinomer.rs/analize/razvojni-put-levijatana-od-brige-za-pse-do-potere-za-migrantima/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Istinomer|language=sr-RS}}</ref> Initially, the movement only focused on [[animal rights]] issues, exposing animal abusers, and taking their animals away from them.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Petface|date=2018-01-04|title=LEVIJATAN: "Imamo svedočenja o silovanju i mučenju pasa, ali meštani ćute iz straha"!|url=https://petface.net/levijatan/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Petface.net|language=en-US}}</ref> However, the movement has shifted from solely being an animal rights group to openly talking about political issues, mainly [[illegal immigration]]. In 2020, the organization announced that they will be forming a party that will participate in the [[2020 Serbian parliamentary election]]. The party since then has been described as [[Serbian nationalism|ultranationalist]], [[Neo-fascism|neo-fascist]] and [[Opposition to immigration|anti-immigration]] by the media.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 20, 2020|title=Ljubitelji životinja koji vređaju žrtve fašista - šta je, zapravo, Levijatan?|url=http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a601600/Ljubitelji-zivotinja-koji-vredjaju-zrtve-fasista-sta-je-zapravo-Levijatan.html|publisher=N1|access-date=June 9, 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528233148/http://rs.n1info.com/Vesti/a601600/Ljubitelji-zivotinja-koji-vredjaju-zrtve-fasista-sta-je-zapravo-Levijatan.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He received second position on a combined electoral list of the Leviathan, and the "I Live for Serbia" movement for the 2020 election.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ite.gov.rs|title=Изборне листе|url=https://www.rik.parlament.gov.rs/tekst/1937/izborne-liste.php|access-date=2020-06-10|website=www.rik.parlament.gov.rs|language=sr}}</ref>
== Controversies == In 2018, Bihali was arrested for making threats on [[Facebook]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=UHAPŠEN PA PUŠTEN: Vođa Levijatana priveden u akciji policije|url=https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/drustvo/3089449/uhapsen-pa-pusten-vodja-levijatana-priveden-u-akciji-policije|access-date=2020-06-10|website=kurir.rs|language=sr}}</ref> Even after this, he continued threatening people on social media, including minors.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pavle Bihali je spojio nemoguće, jevrejsko poreklo i nacističke simbole|url=https://nova.rs/politika/pavle-bihali-je-spojio-nemoguce-jevrejsko-poreklo-i-nacisticke-simbole/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=NOVA portal|language=en-US}}</ref> In April 2020, members of the movement took the family dog of a [[Romani people in Serbia|Romani]] family in [[Dorćol]] away from them claiming that the dog was abused, and that it was used for [[Dog fighting|dog fights]], however, this claim was denied by the people living in the neighbourhood.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-15|title=Levijatan i dalje "posećuje" Rome i oduzima životinje|url=https://www.masina.rs/?p=13087|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Mašina|language=en-US}}</ref> Though he has Jewish heritage, he has been described as a [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] for having the [[3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf]] tattoo. He has also been criticized for having relations with the [[Serbian mafia|mafia]] after he posted a photo of himself wearing a shirt with the image of Luka Bojović, a Serbian criminal.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Benačić|first=Piše: Ana|title=Ljubitelji Miloševića, Arkanovog kuma i kriminalaca gostuju na WMF-u u Rovinju|url=https://www.danas.rs/drustvo/ljubitelji-milosevica-arkanovog-kuma-i-kriminalaca-gostuju-na-wmf-u-u-rovinju/|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Dnevni list Danas|language=sr-RS}}</ref> He defended himself by saying that the family of Bojović helped raise him as he didn't have contact with his family for almost twenty years. He also glorifies [[Milorad Ulemek]], who was convicted of the assassinations of [[Prime Minister of Serbia|Serbian Prime Minister]] [[Assassination of Zoran Đinđić|Zoran Đinđić]] and former [[President of Serbia|Serbian President]] [[Assassination of Ivan Stambolić|Ivan Stambolić]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lupiga|title=ONI VOLE ŽIVOTINJE: Ljubitelji Miloševića, Arkanovog kuma i kriminalaca gostuju na WMF-u u Rovinju|url=https://lupiga.com/vijesti/oni-vole-zivotinje-ljubitelji-milosevica-legije-kriminalaca-i-totenkopfa-u-rovinju|access-date=2020-06-10|website=Lupiga|language=hr}}</ref>
== References == <references />
== External links == * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20171224075738/http://levijatan.org/ Official website]}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bihali, Pavle}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Politicians from Belgrade]] [[Category:Animal rights activists]] [[Category:Serbian Jews]] [[Category:Serbian nationalists]] [[Category:Jewish fascists]] [[Category:Strength of Serbia Movement politicians]]