Velika Hoca Parish Priest Stojkovic on the felling of oak trees: Another form of intimidation

Milan Stojkovic, the parish priest of Velika Hoca, stated that the felling of oak inscriptions at the churchyard of St. Petka in Velika Hoca represented another form of intimidation against the remaining Serbs, while Aleksandar Micic, the President of the Temporary Municipal Authority of Orahovac, emphasized that timber theft was frequent in the municipality, but the felling of oak inscriptions was the first theft on church property.

Micic said for Kosovo Online that the felled oaks in Velika Hoca are believed to have served as inscriptions for the religious procession from the village center to the church of St. John.

"After receiving information about the felled oaks, we went to the site and found no one. The perpetrators had left shortly before our arrival. They cut down several old oak trees that were believed to have served as inscriptions for the procession from the village center to the church of St. John," Micic said.

Furthermore, he added that the case had been reported to the police, but no previous incidents have been resolved so far.

Parish Priest Milan Stojkovic stated that the residents of Velika Hoca took the felling of oak inscriptions personally because the damage had been inflicted on church property.

"Upon the invitation of one of our residents who wished to remain anonymous, we, together with the President of the Temporary Municipal Authority and the locals, went to the site and saw that material damage had been done, and that old oak trees had been cut down near the very foundations of the churchyard of St. Petka in Velika Hoca. This is not the first time something like this has happened; it has occurred before, but now they cunningly started cutting from the inside, which cannot be seen from the road," the parish priest said.

He emphasized that this act was yet another form of intimidation against the Serbs in Velika Hoca.

"This shows that nothing is sacred to them, and they probably wanted to intimidate and provoke the remaining Serbs who live here," Parish Priest Milan Stojkovic added.