Serbs Mark Third Anniversary of Deadly March Riots in Kosovo-Metohija
Kosovo Kristallnacht, March 17, 2004: In two days Albanians burned over 800 homes, destroyed 35 churches, ethnically cleansed more than 4,000 Serbs and Roma... 19 people were killed and over 900 were wounded, while the majority of NATO troops [KFOR] stood by, refusing to engage against Albanians.
Serbs Mark Third Anniversary of Kosovo Kristallnacht
Third anniversary of deadly March riots and pogrom of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs by Albanian Muslims was marked by the commemoration services in all Serbian churches and monasteries belonging to Raska-Prizren Diocese, throughout Kosovo-Metohija province. Bishop of Raska-Prizren Diocese, His Grace Artemije who was serving a commemoration service in Gracanica Monastery, underlined that Serbs have a single-minded determination — never to accept the amputation of Kosovo-Metohija province from the Serbian state.
“Today, when the world’s mighty ones are spinning the fate of Kosovo-Metohija province, we have a singular resolve, and that is to never accept, nor agree to be cut off from Serbia, regardless of what they may decide and do,” said Bishop Artemije.
“As long as Serbian people continues to suffer unjustly before the Lord on its own land inherited from their forefathers, in its own homes and fields, it proves that the Battle of Kosovo is still raging,” emphasized Bishop.
Kosovo Albanians Learn that Violence Pays Off
Recalling the deadly outburst of unparalleled violence and savagery on March 17, 2004, Father Sava (Janjic) of southern Serbian province’s Decani Monastery wrote:
Two-day clashes began on March 17, 2004, after UNMIK police recovered two bodies from the Ibar River in Northern Kosovo several hours after a group of Albanian boys went missing, reportedly after being chased by Serb youths. The UNMIK police report proved that the allegations were not true. However, the incident was used as a trigger for massive ethnically motivated riots in which 4000 Serbs and Roma were expelled from their homes. Around 800 Serb homes were set to fire and 35 Serbian Orthodox sites destroyed, among them medieval churches such as Bogorodica Ljeviska, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Prizren.
Mass riots of Kosovo Albanians who pinned the deaths on the Serbs, gradually spread to massive destruction of Serbian property throughout the whole province in which 19 persons were killed, including 8 Serbs and 11 Albanians (who died in clashes with international peacekeepers). More than 900 people sustained injuries, some of them were members of the UN police and KFOR. [...]
A few months later the pogrom which was immediately qualified by the highest NATO officials as organized and deliberate mass violence were euphemistically justified as spontaneous reaction of frustrated Albanians. In fact the riots served to change the policy “standards before status” into the policy of “status and standards” and were used as a catalyst for speeding up of the status settlement process. Many Serbs never returned to their homes [...]
The riots generally showed that the ethnic violence pays off well because Serbs see that Kosovo Albanians are going to be rewarded by independence for ethnic violence which continues for 8 years in the international presence. No international or Kosovo officials resigned after the riots and serious international failures were covered soon by silence and all kinds of justifications. [...]
Under the watchful eye of the “international community” Kosovo-Metohija Muslims have been further radicalized: Allahu Akbar graffiti in ethnically pure Albanian village Brod. [March 17, 2007 AFP Photo]
Serbian National Council: Three Years Later the Situation in Kosovo-Metohija is Worse Than Ever
In the public statement issued on the anniversary of March pogrom, Serbian National Council of Kosovo-Metohija regretfully concludes that, three years after the massive organized violence conducted against Serbs in the province, the situation has significantly deteriorated, primarily regarding the safety of remaining Serbs and non-Albanians and establishing the rule of law.
“Three years after the unparalleled exodus and mass expulsion of thousands of Serbs from the province, those who are guilty for destruction and desecration of dozens of Orthodox holy shrines, for burning and destroying over 800 homes, for murder and mutilation of innocent Serbian population, have not only remained unnamed, but almost nothing is being done to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” the Serbian National Council statement says.
“Responsibility for this falls squarely on both the province’s [Albanian Muslim] ‘temporary institutions’ and the segment of the international community which, through inaction, shields the criminals, therefore actively helping the creation of independent state of Kosovo, as proposed in the Ahtisaari’s draft,” underlines the statement.
Kosovo-Metohija’s Serbian National Council considers Ahtisaari’s statement that “Albanian [separatist] demands have to be met, because of what they went through during the 1990s” extremely harmful, leading to questioning blatant disregard for the reality where, in plain sight of the international community more than 250,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been ethnically cleansed from the province since July 1999 alone — what kind of future and perspective can Serbs and non-Albanians expect in the criminal entity such as independent Albanian Kosovo state would be?
“Following the chronology of the events, and keeping in mind public announcements that, in case their demands are not met, frustrated Albanians would conduct another pogrom similar to the March 17 Kosovo Kristallnacht, Serbian National Council of Kosovo-Metohija province requests that the international community—KFOR first and foremost—secures safety in the province and prevents possible deadly riots, which would result in unforeseeable consequences, both in the province and in a whole region,” says the public statement issued by the Council.