Office for Kosovo and Metohija on the break-in at the church in Gornja Gusterica: Wave of intimidation against the Serbian people continues

During the night between Friday and Saturday, the Church of St. Nedelja in Gornja Gusterica was broken into, marking the continuation of a wave of intimidation against the Serbian population in central Kosovo. The fact that this is the fourth incident in just a few days confirms that this attack on a religious building was neither accidental nor random, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated in a press release.

The statement further emphasizes that “when burglars wearing balaclavas decide to break into a church that is under video surveillance in order to commit theft, it is clear that this is not merely a crime motivated by material gain, but that the aim is also to create unrest and anxiety among local Serbs.”

“By constantly fostering an atmosphere of insecurity, extremists, following a well-tested scenario, seek to drive out the Serbs. We are convinced that the same motive was behind the recent break-in at the church in Dobrotin, the graffiti ‘UÇK’ written on a kindergarten in the same place, and the desecration of the grave of Ivica Talic in Skulanevo. There can be no justification for such acts of vandalism, and without speculating as to whether these incidents were orchestrated or the work of self-organized individuals, we demand that representatives of the international community on the ground react in order to put an end to this worrying series of clearly ethnically motivated attacks,” the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated.

The Office will inform the international public about the latest incidents, in which it recognizes a political pattern, in the hope that these acts of diversion will not be treated as something ordinary and normal, because such conduct is not normal anywhere in Europe and should not be tolerated in Kosovo either, the statement concludes.

Two unidentified individuals wearing balaclavas broke into the Church of St. Nedelja in Gornja Gusterica and stole money from it, priest Vladan Vukomanovic confirmed to Kosovo Online.

“The unknown perpetrators came to Gornja Gusterica, to the Church of St. Nedelja. Using a blunt object, most likely a crowbar, they forced open the entrance door. They entered the church and broke open the table where candles and other church items are sold, and from that table they took a small amount of coins, approximately 70 euros. They then moved items around in the altar area, where we keep the sacred vessels and vestments,” priest Vukomanovic said, recalling that just one day earlier a church in Dobrotin had also been broken into.