Simic: On Vidovdan, the reality of Serbian life in Kosovo was shown most clearly

Member of the Presidency of the Serb List, Igor Simic, stated that this year’s Vidovdan commemoration best illustrated what life is like for Serbs in Kosovo, noting that not even a national religious holiday can pass without harassment by the Kosovo police and mistreatment of those who wanted to mark Vidovdan and honor the suffering of the Serbian people in the Battle of Kosovo.

“Seventeen Serbs were arrested on that occasion, and even a twelve-year-old girl was harassed for singing historical songs. Everyone who wore anything with historical motifs, even a picture of Vuk Karadzic, was harassed and told to remove their shirts because of the print,” Simic told TV Pink.

He stated that Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti is continuing the persecution of the Serbian people, adding that Kurti is not only harassing the Serbs who live in Kosovo with the aim of eventually expelling them, but is now also trying to send a message to all displaced persons and potential visitors that they are not welcome and will face repression.

“What especially worries Serbs is the silence of the international community. According to the information we have, some representatives were even in the immediate vicinity when all of this was happening, and they did absolutely nothing to prevent it. You know we had a provocation a few months ago in the center of Gracanica involving some flags. We warned international representatives in time, all of us from the Serb List, at our meetings, to increase vigilance and prevent any incidents,” he added.

He noted that the same flags were again seen in the center of Gracanica, near the monastery.

“They had to drive deep into the very heart of the municipality, several kilometers through a purely Serbian area, just to come there and parade with that flag. Nothing was done to stop it, even though it could have been. In the end, people were harassed and mistreated. Sadly, our compatriots who now live outside Kosovo and Metohija were able to see in just one day how Serbs live in Kosovo and Metohija under Albin Kurti’s regime,” Simic emphasized.

He reminded that he and around 40 other Serbs from northern Kosovo have been indicted for alleged conspiracy to undermine the constitutional order of Kosovo.

He claimed these are fabricated charges and part of an effort to discredit members of the Serb List.

“No means are spared, and what worries us is that this effort has intensified since the announcement of local elections scheduled for October this year,” Simic stated.

He added that Kurti is aiming to ethnically cleanse Serbs from Kosovo and is willing to use any method to achieve that. According to Simic, this becomes more aggressive whenever Kurti fails to form a government or achieve political success, and now it is also aimed at discrediting Serb List representatives.

“In recent weeks, we have been harassed, not just with summonses, but even in traffic. Leaders of the Serb List are being stopped, vehicle searches last an hour to an hour and a half, always with rifles pointed at us or our passengers. We're pulled out of vehicles, and even our associates, when not with us, are stopped and harassed. They're asked where we are going, whom we are meeting with, and even pressured to talk about the political activities of the Serb List,” Simic said, adding that there is concern this will continue because Pristina wants to eliminate the Serb List from the local elections at all costs, knowing it stands no chance locally.

“These are primarily municipalities with a Serb majority, but also some where our people, even as a minority, can play a significant role. Once again, every time Albin Kurti fails to form a government in Pristina or achieve political success, he tries to score political points at the expense of Serbs. That is a well-tested method going back decades. It is not surprising to us, but the passive response of the international community to all of this is,” Simic said.

He emphasized that this is illegal and noted that the Serb List is a registered political party that functions normally with the goal of improving the lives and status of Serbs in Kosovo.