Serbian Rightists Force Kosovars to Quit Belgrade Meeting

Kosovo's online media organization, Kosovo 2.0, cancelled their presentation at the Belgrade Share Conference on April 28, after the Serbian far-right organisation, Nasi ["Ours"], announced it would stage a protest rally in front of the building.

"The Share Conference aims to share progressive ideas in the fields of society, technology, music and new media. However, after the Nasi movement invited 'patriotic' Serbian individuals and organizations to participate in a protest to prevent Kosovo 2.0 from presenting, our staff felt their personal safety was in jeopardy. For this reason we were forced to cancel our participation, " Kosovo 2.0 said in a press release.

Nasi claims that Kosovo 2.0 is “a direct promoter of the narco-state of Kosovo as [an] independent state” and that the organisers violated the Serbian constitution by inviting them to particiapte in the conference.

On April 24, Nasi called “all patriotic organisations, Serbian sport fan organisations and patriots” to gather in front of the Dom Omladine, the venue where the Share Conference is being held, to protest against the organisers.

Nasi also called the authorities to file charges against organisers for their alleged breach of the Serbian constitution.

"Unfortunately, this incident reflects the continuing violation of freedom that is inflicted on the citizens of Kosovo by Serbia. It is a violation that is inflicted not only on organizations like Kosovo 2.0, but also Kosovo as a whole," Kosovo 2.0 said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia has vowed never to recognize it. According to the Serbian constitution, Kosovo remains part of Serbia.

Although Kosovo 2.0 cancelled their visit to Serbia, Nasi announced that they will not cancel the rally unless the authorities fulfil all their demands.

Kosovo 2.0 is an online media outlet that publishes news and articles in Albanian, Serbian and English.

To express their support for Kosovo media, Dokukino, a Belgrade-based organisation that promotes digital activism, printed hundreds of stickers for Kosovo 2.0.  

Bturn, an international online magazine, has invited visitors to pick up stickers in the Dom Omladine and “help support independent media across the region”.

The Share Conference is gathering musicians, DJs, activists, hackers and artists. During the day, visitors may attend lectures and in the evening, they can listen to music at concerts.

The Belgrade Share Conference is being held for the second year in a row and will begin on Thursday, April 26 and end on April 28.