Gudzic: If the ban on Serbian symbols for Vidovdan is enforced, further arrests of Serbs can be expected

Historian Aleksandar Gudzic stated in an interview for Kosovo Online that the recent decision by the Basic Court in Pristina to ban the display of Serbian flags and symbols in Gračanica for the upcoming Vidovdan celebration will further deepen the mistrust of Kosovo Serbs toward local institutions. He warned that, should the decision be implemented, new arrests of Serbs may be expected.

Gudzic emphasized that this latest ruling is merely a continuation of previous measures taken by Pristina's institutions regarding the celebration of Vidovdan.

“We all remember how in previous years, the police used brutal force to prevent Serbs from entering Gazimestan with national symbols. We remember how Kosovo authorities—particularly the Kosovo Police—used the heightened national sentiments among Serbs on Vidovdan as a pretext to arrest them. The message was clear: that Serbs from across the world should not come to Kosovo for Vidovdan,” Gudzic stated.

He pointed out that Kosovo holds a deep national and historical significance for Serbs, being a territory where national identity is strongly expressed.

“The Battle of Kosovo, which took place on Vidovdan in 1389, shaped the identity of the Serbian people. Vidovdan and Kosovo both carry a distinctly Serbian historical and emotional meaning. Throughout history—and even today—Kosovo’s institutions are working to erase this Serbian character, whether through media, the rhetoric of certain historians and analysts, official historiography, or now through administrative measures such as this one,” he said.

If the court decision is implemented, Gudzic warned, further arrests of Serbs during the Vidovdan celebration are likely, which would only exacerbate tensions.

“If this happens, we can expect arrests and swift reactions by the Kosovo Police whenever Serbs are involved in such matters. In the long term, this could further deepen the mistrust that Serbs already feel toward the Kosovo Police and, more broadly, toward Kosovo’s institutions. Over the past 26 years, Kosovo’s institutions and political elites have failed to create a society in which the government—and society as a whole—respects minorities and their national identity and sentiments,” Gudzic concluded.