An image has been published showing Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), with the caption: "Ramushi: Does the Diaspora love Kosovo less? The statement that is blowing up the internet!"
it CONTENT was posted on Tuesday (April 7) on Facebook, by the page named "ZeriSot".
Is the claim true?
Ramush Haradinaj was invited to the "Debat Plus" show on RTV Dukagjini, on Monday, April 6. This page's claim refers precisely to this interview.
But, Haradinaj did not mention the diaspora at all in this presentation.
In the text written on the image, the page poses the statement of the former Prime Minister of Kosovo in the form of a question, while in the caption of the post it is presented as a fait accompli.
Post caption:
"A recent statement by former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has prompted numerous reactions on social media.
During a television appearance on RTV Dukagjini, Haradinaj stated that those who were born and live in Kosovo love the country more than those who were born or raised in the diaspora.
This statement has opened a wide public debate, with many citizens, especially from the diaspora, considering it unfair and offensive.
On the other hand, some have interpreted this stance as an emphasis on the daily connection with reality in Kosovo.
The debate continues on social media, where citizens are sharing different opinions regarding this statement.
So, based on this description, Haradinaj, in a television appearance on the medium "RTV Dukagjini", stated that those who were born and live in Kosovo love the country more than those who were born or raised in the diaspora.
Hibrid.info has conducted research on YouTube, a platform for distributing audio-visual content, analyzing the content on the official channel of “RTV Dukagjini” (see here).
Among the published videos, one was found that featured, among others, the image of Haradinaj in the "thumbnail" (see here).
This video footage shows the "Debat Plus" show on April 6, broadcast on RTV Dukagjini, where the leader of AAK was also invited for an interview.
Hibrid.info checked the content of the interview and found a statement that to some extent coincides with what is claimed in the content discussed. There, Haradinaj said that Dejona Mihali, Coordinator of Committees in the Vetëvendosje Movement (who lives in Albania), as well as the family of Prime Minister Albin Kurti (his wife and daughter), were not born and raised in Kosovo, and for this reason, according to him, neither Albin Kurti nor Dejona Mihali can love the country more than he or his wife (see here(, 01:41:50).
Transcripted statement
"How is it possible, Dejona, I'm not saying why her name is Dejona, nor Mihal, nor Albin Kurti? How is it possible that people, for example, who were not born in Kosovo, did not live in Kosovo, did not go through any of the pains that we went through, did not have a family member killed for this Kosovo, did not receive any wounds, and, according to you, she loves Kosovo more than I and people like me? How is it possible, the prime minister whose wife lives in Norway (excuse me), and daughter in Norway, and who loves Kosovo more, or this one, or his child, or his wife, more than Anita, who was born in Pristina and who has an Albanian mother and father? Who is thinking of telling us that this is the truth? We are from this country, we have tolerance, we have respect, we have honor for everyone. But, listen, let's go back to that word of Ibrahim Rugova: "Get ready everyone, get ready everyone for the accounts". They will have to give an account, everyone for their behavior, for their actions, what they do, before the law and before God, everyone will have to face me. Why am I telling you this? No one can offend this country, offend these values. I respect them, because I love every inch of my Albanian homeland and it has nothing to do with the fact that I was not born there. But, I cannot tell him in Progonat or in Korça that I love Korça more than you or I love Tetovo more than you".
So, based on this statement, it is proven that Haradinaj did not express a position on the diaspora, but reacted to a certain idea through rhetorical questions. He questions the claim that individuals who have not lived in Kosovo, do not live in Kosovo, or have not experienced the war and daily challenges, can love the country more than those who have gone through these experiences.
Hibrid.info has also researched, through the search engine "Google", with the words "ramush radinaj for the diaspora" (see here).
The results of this research have shown several articles that have reported public positions over the years of the AAK president, through which he expresses positive assessments of the diaspora (see here, here, here and here).
Analyze:
The claim that Ramush Haradinaj has stated that the diaspora loves Kosovo less than the people who live in it is not accurate.
He spoke about Albin Kurti and his family, and about LVV official Dejona Mihali, who according to him did not live or were born in Kosovo at certain times, and for this reason cannot love the country more than he or those who live and experience its reality.
Therefore, based on the working methodology, this claim is assessed as "Manipulation of facts".
Reasoning:
“Factual manipulation” is a rating given to informational content that uses facts known to be accurate but interprets them in a distorted manner. These reports typically use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thereby misleading consumers of media content about the actual meaning of the facts presented.