Some politicians and media outlets from Serbia have attempted to link a major event that brought together regional leaders, to speculate that on the same day, the government led by Albin Kurti was planning the "next attack" on the Serbian community in the north. The 10th summit under the Berlin Process was held on October 14. A day earlier, Serbian media broadcast a statement from Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, claiming that Kurti was preparing "hell" for Serbs in Kosovo.
The article was shared on October 13, 2024, by “Alo.rs”, with the headline: "KURTI PREPARES HELL FOR SERBS ON MONDAY – The Serbian Prime Minister warned of possible actions by Pristina against the Serbian people in Kosovo."
In the article, Milos Vucevic is quoted as saying that he fears a new provocation in Kosovo against Serbs, which could happen as early as Monday.
"I fear that on Monday, you will see new provocations from Pristina, as veterans of such formats and events show that whenever a meeting is held at the plenary level, something bad happens to us in Kosovo and Metohija from Pristina. I hope nothing like that will happen, but I am anxious that Albin Kurti will do something that morning," Vucevic told RTV.
This was enough for "Alo.rs" to speculate that "the prime minister of the unrecognized state of Kosovo will once again attack the Serbian people and institutions immediately after the weekend." Such baseless statements, unsupported by facts or reliable sources, can cause concern within the Serbian community in Kosovo.
However, on Monday, the day the Berlin Summit was held, there was no action by Kosovo authorities in the predominantly Serb-populated municipalities that would confirm the claim that it was intended to expel them from Kosovo.
In recent weeks, Kosovo Police have assisted in several operations by Kosovo authorities to close down parallel offices operating under Serbia's system. These actions have been opposed by local residents and Serbian officials, who claim they are being carried out to make life more difficult for Serbs in the north. The government's actions have also been criticized by the EU and the U.S., who have labeled them as unilateral and uncoordinated. According to international actors, the issue of Serbia's parallel institutions in Kosovo should be resolved within the framework of the EU-mediated dialogue facilitated by Brussels.
*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation. “Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.”
