The Serbian language media outlet "In4s" and the Serbian service of "Sputnik" have published an article claiming that the host of the interview with Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak conducted by Atlantic Council TV called Serbs a "fascist formation".
The headlines used by these media outlets were: “Media hyena: American presenter twice called Serbs a “fascist formation” in front of Escobar and Lajcak!” and “Scandal: American presenter called Serbs a 'fascist formation' in front of Escobar and Lajcak”.
Verification that this statement is false was made by the fact-checking platform from Montenegro "Undressing.me", after searching the video of the interview published on Youtube.
Links to articles published in "In4s" and "Sputnik":
Parts of the article published in "In4s" and "Sputnik":
The EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, and the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, spoke today at the Atlantic Council about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, and on that occasion the American presenter, while asking questions, called the Serbs protesting in the north of the province "fascist formations."
The claim that the journalist (Ilva Tare) in the conversation with Lajcak and Escobar called the Serbs a fascist formation is not true. This is confirmed after verifying the published recording of the conversation, which is available on YouTube (min 05:19). (here)
The journalist asked the interlocutors as follows: "How do you respond to Prime Minister Kurti's concerns about the fascist militia present in northern Kosovo and the attacks on journalists and KFOR troops? How do you assess this concern in the north?"
Therefore, the journalist referred to the statement of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, who recently said in a statement to CNN that he will not hand over the country to a "fascist militia", which was also reported in the media. (here, here)
""We are working closely with international factors, especially the US and the EU, which we consider very valuable allies and partners. We will do our best. But we will not hand over the democratic Republic to the fascist militia," said Kurti.
From what can be seen above, the journalist did not say that Serbs are a "fascist formation", but rather formulated the question in such a way that it referred to the words of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, after which she asked her interlocutor for a comment.
Analyze:
After verifying the video of the conversation, the facts show that the journalist did not call the Serbs a "fascist formation", but rather formulated the question in a way that referred to the words of the Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this claim as "misinformation".
Rating:
A “Disinformation” rating is given to media reporting that contains a “mix” of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful content. This rating will also address reports that have incorrect attributions or headlines that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.