Gudzic: The rise of anti-Serbian narrative is a consequence of the impunity of Kosovo Albanians for their ‘mischievous’ past

Historian Aleksandar Gudzic has assessed that the increasingly noticeable anti-Serbian narrative in Kosovo is a consequence of the lack of punishment for Albanians for their "mischievous past" from the 19th century up to the March violence of 2004.

“Kosovo Albanians have not been punished for their, to put it mildly, ‘mischievous’ past. They were not punished for their open fascism and collaboration with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany during World War II. Nor were they punished for the dreadful and horrific violence committed against Serbs throughout the 19th century. Numerous reports from international diplomats who stayed in Kosovo, and who were anything but favorable toward Serbs, speak of this violence against Serbs perpetrated by Albanians,” Gudzic stated for Kosovo Online.

At the regional conference held in Pristina on January 29, as part of the project “Combating Extremism in Kosovo: Trends, Challenges, and Countermeasures”, it was reported that ethnonationalism, anti-gender narratives, religious extremism, and anti-Serbian narratives in Kosovo are interconnected and on the rise.

Gudzic claims that all NGOs and human rights activists in Kosovo are copying the German-French model and speak of reconciliation, but they do not want to confront the facts from the recent history of Kosovo Albanians, despite existing written records and reports.

“Austro-Hungarian reports speak of violence against Serbs in the 19th century. Austro-Hungary was anything but sympathetic to Serbia and the Serbs. Numerous Nazi reports testify to the suffering of Serbs during World War II at the hands of Albanian collaborators, and Nazi Germany was anything but favorable toward Serbia and Serbs,” the historian points out.

He emphasizes that Albanians were not punished for the violence against Serbs during the 1990s, nor for the expulsion of 200,000 Serbs in 1999.

The problem of impunity, he stresses, was most evident following the March Pogrom of 2004.

“More than 50,000 people – Kosovo Albanians – participated in the three-day pogrom against Serbs. It was ethnically motivated violence. For the pogrom against Serbs, only a few hundred Albanians were sentenced to some prison terms,” Gudzic states.

He sees the solution in the strict sanctioning of any form of nationalism and hate speech.

“Historical experience has shown that ethnically motivated violence pays off for Kosovo Albanians and that they will go unpunished for it. Precisely for this reason, the only way forward is for judicial institutions to respond to every form of nationalism and hate speech and to impose the harshest possible punishments on the perpetrators. Only in this way can we free ourselves in the future from ethnonationalism and all forms of violence,” Gudzic emphasizes.