Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
more November 1, 2024 a concrete shelter at the newly built train station in Novi Sad, Serbia, collapsed, killing 15 people and seriously injuring three others. The incident shocked public opinion and caused widespread anger. On November 3, thousands of citizens gathered in Belgrade, in front of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, to request resignation of Minister Goran Vesić and the government's holding of responsibility for the incident. On November 5, protesters attacked the Novi Sad Municipal Assembly building, breaking glass doors, throwing stones, red paint and pyrotechnics inside. The station, inaugurated in July 2024 after three years of construction by a Chinese consortium, has already been at the center of controversy over the safety and quality of the work carried out.
On November 6, 2024, the head of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, accused individuals in Novi Sad for desecrating the Serbian flag and vandalizing Serbian institutions, comparing them to “the actions of Albin Kurti and extremists in Kosovo.” Serbian media amplified this narrative, presenting Kosovo as a “destabilizing factor and threat to Serbia.”
"It is unacceptable that last night in Novi Sad individuals desecrated the Serbian flag and vandalized Serbian institutions, just as Kurti and his extremists are doing in Kosovo. This is not a coincidence, because Kurti and the rebels in Novi Sad have the same interest and method: that Serbia and everything Serbian be hindered and weakened by violence."
Students in Serbia have erupted in massive protests since late November, blocking over 40 faculties at the universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac. They demand accountability and prosecution of those responsible for the accident at the Novi Sad railway station. They also demand the publication of documentation on the reconstruction of the station and the identification of the perpetrators of attacks on students and professors during previous protests.
In this context, Serbian media and officials attempted to link the opposition protests in Serbia to Albin Kurti without evidence, presenting the destabilization of Serbia as a common denominator of these events. This attempt was accompanied by allegations that Kurti and the Serbian opposition are acting in harmony to create tensions and weaken the stability of Serbia, “manipulating the situation to achieve their political goals.”
On December 3th, Serbian media outlet “Informer” published a claim that a protest would be held in front of the “Kronenhalle” restaurant in Zurich, where Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was said to be having dinner. According to the article, the protest was organized by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, relying on the methods of opposition protests in Serbia. After fact-checking, it was determined that the claim published by “Informer” had no factual basis and did not provide any evidence to support it. Also, the said protest did not take place.
The Serbian daily "Kurir" published an article on December 4 in which it is alleged that recent events, including the attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal in Zubin Potok and the actions of the Serbian opposition, are linked to an attempt to destabilize Serbia. The article says that Kurti aims to weaken Serbia and that the Serbian opposition is supporting his efforts to overthrow the current government, using protests and tensions as a means to achieve its goals.
Serbian media, on December 8, published an unsubstantiated claim, regarding a photograph of a person identified as Miloš Rakić, linking him to “Greater Albania”. The photograph was taken during a protest in Novi Sad, where a citizen had his hands crossed, similar to the symbol of the double-headed eagle, but in different positions. “Informer.rs” used this image to link without facts Rakić with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, labeling him as a "satellite" of Kurti.
On December 13th, several Serbian-language media outlets published articles claiming that reporting by Albanian-language media in Kosovo on the protests in Serbia was evidence of “Albin Kurti’s support for the destruction and burning of Serbia.” They also suggested that “Kurti-controlled media in Pristina” supported the protests in Belgrade, claiming that this was aimed at destroying Serbia. Serbian-language media outlets did not offered no facts to support the claim that the media in Kosovo are under Kurti's control, making this accusation unfounded.
Even during opposition protests in December 2023, where the cancellation of the elections in Serbia was demanded, allegations were spread about the involvement of Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the organization of these protests. These allegations, without concrete evidence, linked Kurti to such events, suggesting that he was involved in attempts to destabilize the political situation in Serbia.
On December 24th Last year, the Serbian media outlet "Informer.rs" published an article claiming that Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, had ordered the media in Kosovo to give full coverage to opposition protests in Serbia, without provide concrete facts for this accusation.
A day after, on December 25, the Serbian media outlet “Informer.rs” published an article claiming that a (ro)bot account of Albin Kurti on the social network X was involved in the opposition protest in Serbia, with the aim of destabilization. This media outlet did not provide no facts to prove that this account was indeed a Kurti bot.
