Gazimestan: Were Serbs singled out by Kosovo Police on Vidovdan?

Gazimestan: Were Serbs singled out by Kosovo Police on Vidovdan?

An ethnic Serb was arrested in Gazimestan yesterday during the Vidovdan festivities for allegedly carrying a banner in the colors of the Serbian flag showing the map of Kosovo, with the inscription „No surrender“.

On the other hand, the provocative messages of an individual who, clad in a T-shirt with the inscription „Albania,“ exclaimed: „This is Albania, the territory of all – Albania“; „Fu*k Serbia, this is Kosovo,“ were met with no reaction from police officers. Moreover, the physical attack initiated by another person went unnoticed by the representatives of law and order authorities present at the site.

Yesterday, during the Vidovday festivities at Gazimestan, the Kosovo police detained an ethnic Serb from Babin Most, N.M., for carrying a banner with the territory of Kosovo in the colors of the Serbian flag and the inscription „No surrender“.

This young man was then taken to a police station, interrogated and then released.
The Kosovo police announced that apart from this detainment, there were no other cases that affected the period of the manifestation, noting that they had prepared well for yesterday’s gathering.

Promised protection, prohibited provocations

Apart from the standard checking of bags and backpacks, men were required to lift their shirts before entering the complex, while visitors were given instructions on how to behave.

In the instruction manual written in bad Serbian, the Kosovo police announced that they hoped that the Vidovdan celebration would pass peacefully and that they would not tolerate „provocative and violent acts, vandalism or destruction and actions that incite inter-ethnic hatred.“

At the same time, they promised to protect visitors.

Both Albanian-language media and individuals on social networks, reporting on yesterday’s events, apart from the detainment, underscored the order, law and security of Kosovo.

They mostly reported on the police control of Serbian visitors at the entrance to the complex. They recorded in detail the moments when the police seized items they interpreted as provocative or hatred-inciting – including t-shirts and flags – and threw them in a dumpster.

The same media outlets and individuals extensively wrote about the arrest of the Serb from Obilić.

As the event unfolded, Albanian influencers on social networks shared messages about „nationalist rampage“, „provocation“, „incitement of hatred“, „ethno-nationalist delirium“, „fascist cries“, „hateful paraphernalia“ by Serbs.

If it weren’t for the camera of a political activist from the North, Aleksandar Arsenijević, the two separate events involving two Albanians, based on the video, would have gone unnoticed, at least for the public, as well as for some policemen.

Curses against Serbia, Kosovo into Albania

Shortly after the detention of the Serb from Babin Most, but also the departure of most of the visitors, a motorcyclist headed to Gazimestan, without a helmet, wearing a T-shirt with the inscription „Albania“.

In the video published by the Serbian Democracy party, a man can be seen briefly talking to the police officers in front of the gate, after which he heads back towards the main road, shouting in Serbian „Long live Kosovo“, and then „this is Albania, the territory of all – Albania“.

This individual briefly spoke with the President of the Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijević, while police officers stood between them.

Arsenijević was the first to address both him and the police by saying that this is Kosovo, not Albania, to which the motorcyclist replied: „This is Albania, the territory of all – Albania.“

The man is then seen approaching Arsenijević, who told him: „Is there no room for us Serbs?“ to which the man replies: “Fu*k Serbia, this is Kosovo.“

He was then removed in a calm manner by the members of the Kosovo Police, who allowed him to rev the engine a couple of times, and then calmly continue, again without a helmet.

When turning onto the main road, the motorcyclist told Arsenijević and the person who was with him and filmed the whole event: „Long live Albania“.

An attack not seen by the police?

At the same location, according to Arsenijević, he was then attacked by a man whom he assumes to be a media worker.

„A person carrying a camera and resembling a journalist approached me, who told me – ‘go to Serbia, go to Serbia’ and grabbed my face, which is why I have a scratch,“ said the leader of Serbian Democracy.

The video does not show who the person holding the camera in one hand is pushing away with the other hand, but it is obvious that this is happening only a few meters away from several police officers, who did not react.

A woman’s voice can also be heard reacting in surprise at the moment when the person with the camera in one hand, swipes the other hand towards the camera. The same female voice repeatedly calls the police to react, and when at one point the policeman tells her „This is an independent country“, the woman adds: „Okay, but why aren’t you reacting?“ Her inquiry also remains unanswered.

Arsenijević revealed that the woman in question is his girlfriend.

After Arsenijević spoke to that policeman, he told him in English – „go to your car, don’t talk to me“, adding that he did not witness the incident in question.

As the man Arsenijević accused of the attack was leaving with a group of people, the police officers told the leader of Serbian Democracy not to report the attack to them, but to go to the police station and file a report there.

Complaints against the attackers and the police

A few hours after the incident, the Serbian Democracy shared a press release, confirming that they will report the case, both against the man with the camera, whom they now claim is the cameraman of one of the media in Pristina, whose name they revealed, and against members of the Kosovo Police.

„Although several police officers were present when this attack took place, they all claimed that they did not see anything, although the video denies them. In addition, we will file charges against the unprofessional police officers who calmly observed these attacks, and with their silence allowed them to happen,“ they said in a statement.

While condemning the attack, they alleged that in Gazimestan yesterday, members of the Kosovo Police demanded visitors who wore shirts with Serbian symbols to take them off „because they are a provocation“, and that they allegedly „ignored the shirts with the inscriptions ‘KLA’, ‘Greater Albania’ and ‘Albania’ „.

„Not even a citizen who shouted ‘this is Albanian land’, talking about Kosovo, caught their eye,“ the party added.

„Based on these events, it is unequivocally clear why Serbs and other non-majority communities in Kosovo do not trust the Kosovo Police”.

Apart from the Kosovo Police, this party stressed that „EULEX, whose uniformed representatives refused to provide protection to the Serbs and Mr. Arsenijević, remained silent on the institutional violence.“

They sent an appeal to the international community, primarily to the embassies of Germany, the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and the „influential“ international partners of Kosovo, as well as EULEX, the Office of the European Union in Kosovo, KFOR, UNMIK and other international organizations:

„To put pressure on the Government of Kosovo to stop systematic psychological intimidation and institutional violence against non-majority communities — in this case, Serbs.“

„It is time for the international community to cease being silent on the institutional pressure that is exerted on the Serbian population in Kosovo every day,“ they concluded.

No response from the Kosovo Police

Last night, the KoSSev portal reached out to the Kosovo Police with an urgent and detailed inquiry about whether they have opened a case and an investigation against two men – that is, the motorcyclist and the „cameraman“.

At the same time, we asked them whether they had taken measures over the lack of reaction of police officers regarding the inappropriate provocative messages of the first person and the possible physical attack of the second individual.

However, the Central Directorate of the Kosovo Police did not respond to our inquiry by the time this news was published.

Sentić: PIK to react urgently

The deputy of the Kosovo Ombudsman, Srdjan Sentić, shared the video posted by Arsenijević and called on the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo to react. Sentić also accused the KP of selectively applying the rule of law.

„The application of selective rule of law and discriminatory treatment towards one ethnic group in relation to another is evident by the institutions that should prevent such occurrences,“ he said.

In his words, such practice is „our reality“:

„It is alarming when this kind of treatment by the Kosovo Police is carried out on the day of religious and historical significance for the Serbian people.“

He called on the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo to react urgently and take appropriate measures to ensure justice and equal treatment for all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity.

„We expect a clear and decisive condemnation of this behavior of political representatives, because they must represent the interests of all citizens and promote equality and justice,“ Sentić stressed.

Rašić seeks an investigation

Kosovo Minister for Communities and Return, Nenad Rašić, reacted, also sharing allegations that the leader of the Serbian Democracy was attacked.

„We are calling for an immediate investigation due to the attack on him by an unknown person, as well as due to the lack of reaction of (police officers) officials. Kosovo is the country of all the citizens who live in it!“ this minister said in a Facebook post.