The high price of lying about Kosovo

Written for Kosovo Online by Srđan Garčević, founder of The Nutshell Times

If you are to go by the image that is created around Priština authorities in the media as well as academia, you would rightly be puzzled about why Serbs would risk violence in order not to have new mayors imposed on them, in the Serb-majority areas in Kosovo’s North. 

Why would they not want to live in a system that is the most democratic in the Western Balkans, according to V-Dem, a reputable institution in charge of producing democracy rankings and reports widely used in academia and business around the world? Furthermore, should they not be proud to live under a system that cherishes the rule of law so much that it refuses to stoop to international pressure for the past ten years and allow the formation of the Association of Serb Municipalities, simply because it goes counter to its sacrosanct Constitution? After all, it is that Constitution which gives them vast minority rights, especially in a vibrant society built on tolerance and which seeks to foster civic tolerance and respect – and goes against ethnic nationalism? Do they not feel protected by the fact that the system would not budge even for a major celebrity, like Novak Đoković, who would potentially cause them harm by not being vaccinated against COVID as well as spreading dangerous incendiary messages („Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.“)? Why would anybody decide it is worth being injured to protest against such an amazing system?

Well, it seems that the US Ambassador to Priština and even the US Secretary of State seem to have been uninformed about this progressive (and incredibly pro-US) haven in the middle of the Balkans when they decided to rein in the current Priština government led by the progressive Mr. Albin Kurti, who is a keen fighter against fascism. 

Probably curious about Priština’s many successes in governance, they may have dug a bit deeper.
 
This amazingly democratic polity, lauded by top social scientists, decided to impose new ethnically Albanian mayors onto Serb-majority communities based on the electoral turnout ranging between somewhat democratic 1.06% (in Leposavić) and stellar democratic 5.78% (in Zubin Potok). 

The reason for the low turnout was that the Serbs decided to boycott the election after being subjected to constant and increasing violence. There were 301 incidents of attacks on Serbs and their property between 1 January 2022 and 14 January 2023, out of which a whooping 90 involved Priština-controlled police. The most egregious were attacks on Serbs by members of Priština-controlled security forces. One even happened on Orthodox Christian Christmas Eve when an unarmed boy and his equally unarmed brother were shot.

These factoids are ignored not by most of the English-language media and academia, as well as various otherwise vocal activists and scholars concerned with peace, reconciliation, and inter-ethnic relationships, but still, they do tend to stick to the minds of Serbs, especially those living in Kosovo’s multi-ethnic paradise.

Given this, you would surely be surprised to hear that commitment to the Constitution and decisions of their Constitutional court, do not stop Priština authorities from encroaching on the land of Visoki Dečani, a UNESCO-protected Serbian monastery. The high protections enjoyed by minorities are so real, that a great majority of Kosovo’s minorities (even excluding Serbs) decided to stay in (intolerant, evil) Serbia after being repeatedly attacked since June 1999. Those who return would enjoy such great displays of tolerance, such as the banning of religious services by the police. 

The vibrant society that is past ethnic nationalism is at its most vibrant and inclusive whenever Priština authorities talk about unification with Albania, or when they push dubious historical theories claiming Albanian ownership of Serb monuments. Low tolerance of inflammatory celebrity posturing can be witnessed in repeated calls to censor a Serbian theatre by a “liberal” Priština theatre director, or indeed, on the non-existent condemnation of Dua Lipa sharing a map of Greater Albania and proclaiming Albanians “autochthonous”. 

This may read as yet another tired claim of hypocrisy and double standards. It is not: it is a warning. The fact that so many Serb protestors and KFOR soldiers have been injured so that some could maintain the illusion of the Priština government’s functionality should alarm us about the huge price of lies and bad reporting about Kosovo. There has always been a bloody price to be paid for Priština’s ability to shroud its malfunctioning. Many of those fantasies are eagerly repeated by major outlets. 

The price was usually Kosovo Serbian property and even lives. Almost as often, it was Kosovo Albanians who were murdered to keep the charade of a functional and just society going. Now it is KFOR soldiers, and tomorrow it could be even bloodier.