Antonijevic: Over 3,000 signatures for the return of the monument to Serbian soldiers

The petition for the return of the monument to fallen Serbian soldiers in the wars of 1912-1918 at the cemetery in Pristina currently has over 3,000 signatures, lawyer and human rights expert Milan Antonijevic announced, as reported by RTV.

Antonijevic said for Tanjug that the petition, initiated by the coordinator of the Working Group of the National Convention on the EU Chapter 35, Dragisa Mijacic, not only reflected the number of those who directly support the return of the monument but also included all those who had expressed support through social media.

"A vast number of people who have seen and shared this petition speak to the readiness of citizens to raise this issue, a readiness that existed when this plaque was removed from the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina," Antonijevic stated.

When asked about the number of signatories needed to initiate the return of the monument to the cemetery, he mentioned that media attention had already been drawn.

"Considering that we have had the first clarification from the French Embassy in Pristina, which was not quite satisfactory, we have all continued to talk about the necessity to restore everything to its previous state. The number is not so crucial, it seems, especially since media attention has been raised. I think the French Embassy has realized the sensitivity of this issue, as we pointed out through the petition," Antonijevic explained.

According to him, there is an understanding that the removal of the memorial plaque by the French Embassy went "beyond the framework it should have been in."

"There is obviously an understanding that, through this action, the embassy went beyond the framework it should have been in. This is an extremely sensitive issue, especially in Kosovo, where there is a huge number of monuments, churches, and cemeteries that were damaged during conflicts and continue to be damaged today. This raises tensions at any given moment, and that's why there is an obvious willingness to respond to the petition and all appeals from public figures and civil society and to return everything to its previous state. This way, we can put an end to this rather strange attempt, I can't say to rewrite history, but also an attitude that ultimately demonstrates disrespect for Serbian victims of World War I," Antonijevic stated.

The relocation of the memorial to Serbian soldiers provoked sharp reactions, and the embassies of France and Germany subsequently acknowledged in a joint statement that the monument was moved on their initiative. They explained this move by stating that in recent years, especially in 2022, the joint Franco-German ceremony had, as stated, been "tainted by controversy in certain media outlets in Kosovo regarding the presence of a stele honoring Serbian soldiers who died between 1912 and 1918."

The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Raska and Prizren expressed deep concern about the relocation of the memorial plaque to Serbian soldiers, emphasizing that neither the Serbian community, which used that cemetery, nor the Eparchy had been consulted about moving the memorial plaque to liberators in World War I.

The Eparchy highlighted that it had not only demonstrated disrespect for one memorial on an Orthodox cemetery in Kosovo and Metohija but had also attempted to obscure undeniable truths about the participation and historical role of the Serbian people in those areas.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the Serb List also condemned the relocation of the monument.

The Embassy of France in Pristina later stated that they would consider "technical possibilities" for the relocated monument to Serbian soldiers at the Orthodox cemetery in Pristina to be returned to its original location.