The campaign to boycott Serbian products in Kosovo continues with another bizarre video.
The campaign for the boycott of Serbian products in Kosovo intensified on several occasions last year, primarily through social networks. The boycott of products was called not because of their quality, but the country of origin.
„Until now, we have fed our enemy“, „Don’t fund the Serbian army“, „One who gives them money to buy weapons is not a patriot, a patriot is the one who buys the products of this country“, „Don’t forget“ – read some of the messages shared within this campaign which is carried out in several ways.
At the beginning of last year, the Serbian and part of the regional public was disturbed by the video of the group Besa Besi. The video in question shows a girl in a store reminding her father who is reaching toward Serbian products about the crimes committed by the Serbs during the 1999 war.
Several NGOs pointed out that this kind of promotional video encourages „economic nationalism, and is an example of causing discord and intolerance among ethnic groups because it spreads the message of poisoning customers with Serbian products.“ The NGO „New Social Initiative“ filed a report to the Press Council at the time – after several media outlets published the video, a report to the ombudsman, and a criminal report to the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Urosevac.
In the meantime, as Milica Andric-Rakic confirmed for KoSSev, the Press Council announced the complaint that the video spread ethnic hatred is unfounded, the prosecution has not yet responded, while the ombudsman launched an investigation.
In the latest video published on Monday by Shqipdon Salijaj, a video editor active on several social networks, the message not to buy Serbian products is conveyed in a very bizarre way.
The video shows Shqipdon buying Serbian products from the store, namely sweets and snacks from Serbia that have been popular for decades – chips, plazma cookies, “medeno srce” and medela strudel.
Once he gets home, he opens one product after the other, but instead of candy and chips, the packages are filled with bullets.
In the background, scenes from the past are shown, baby’s cries and the voice of an old man reminding that they waged a war with the Serbs.
The soundtrack used in the video was actually taken from an older video – „Until recently, you waged a war with them…a man does not know who is mother, nor who is sister, nor what bread represents, nor thing…“
KoSSev tried to contact the author of the video through social networks, where he is very active, in order to discuss this campaign, and also to confirm that Shqipdon Salijaj is the author of the video. We’ve received no answer by the time the news was published.
The leading Kosovo news agency KosovaPress reminded that there is an ongoing campaign to boycott Serbian products.
„The purpose of this campaign is to make the citizens of Kosovo aware that they should not purchase Serbian products that are imported from the northern neighbor,“ the text states and adds:
„This initiative is not current given that various activists, as well as conscientious citizens, have been calling for a boycott of these products for some time.“
In previous years, several pages were created on social networks with the specific purpose to call for a boycott of Serbian products.
The pages in question share pictures and videos of children usually wearing promotional t-shirts with the Albanian national symbol of the eagle. Also, one of the shared videos reveals how Kosovo merchants cover the country of origin of the product with a sticker.
@hallakame #viralvideo #viralvideo #fypシ゚viral #fypシ゚viral #funny #funny #dancekosova #dancekosova #kosova #friends #funytiktok #viralalbania🇦🇱kosova🇽🇰 #viral ♬ original sound – Hallakam
During the latest crisis in Kosovo in December, when the Serbs set up barricades in the north, this campaign was also intensified in North Mitrovica, in the ethnically mixed part of Bosniak Mahala, as well as in the southern part of the town – where Serbs and Albanians have been cooperating in the economic context for years.
In Bosniak Mahala, as well as on the eastern and the main bridge over the Ibar, posters with the inscription „BOYCOTT OF SERBIAN PRODUCTS“ were displayed. The same posters were positioned on the walls and windows of supermarkets in South Mitrovica.
The march for the boycott of Serbian products, which was organized by students in Pristina at the end of December, continued. At that time, they appealed to all citizens not to buy products of Serbian origin, reminding them of the crimes committed by Serbia during the war.
At the beginning of this year, the media also reported how some shops in Kosovo decided to remove all Serbian goods from their shelves. The origin of the products served as the only reason why the shelves where these goods were stored remained empty at that time.
Finally, in the annual report of the Kosovo customs for last year, which also includes data on the import and export of goods from Serbia to Kosovo – the director of this institution indicated that the number of Serbian products in Kosovo decreased compared to 2017 or 2018.
On the other hand, he also said that in 2022, the value of imports from Serbia to Kosovo amounted to 370 million euros, which is a higher figure when compared to the previous year.
For years, the Kosovo government has strived to reduce the import of goods from Serbia, and the Serbian side is being accused of disproportionate exports compared to imports from Kosovo. Pristina is committed to redirecting imports to Albania in the future.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
