RFE/RL in the house of extreme rightist movement “1389” in Kosovo

22 December 2011

Author: Milos Teodorovic

[original in Serbian]

While Serbia’s Constitutional Court debates a ban on the extreme rightist movement “1389” [named after the year of the Battle of Kosovo], its members are active in northern Kosovo without any restrictions or interference.

They reside in two houses which were given to them by local authorities. They live according to military rules and prepare themselves to defend Kosovo “by all means”.

Radio Free Europe is the first media to visit these houses located in Zvecan, 10 minute drive from the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, at the border of Kosovo and Serbia.

These two houses, that can be reached only through a field, have their new residents for four months. One cannot enter these houses easily and only a limited number of young men from Serbia, mostly from Belgrade, managed to pass admission tests.

“There are about 30 people here right now. First of all, these men are Serbian patriots. We have strict admission requirements. Anyone who wants to join has to be in it with his heart and soul, to feel it and not to be problematic. They have to respect all our decisions and decisions of our local representatives.”

Cameras are not welcome here. Walls are covered with pictures of war criminals, including Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. Only one of the men is allowed to answer the questions on behalf of all thirty of them.

“I am Darko Panovic, a member of the Serbian national movement “1389”. We currently reside in northern Kosovo and Metohija.”

Members of the movement are at the barricades every day. But this is not the only “help” they are willing to give to their compatriots.

“We consider this occupied territory and we have all the possible rights to make it free.”

RFE/RL: Does that include the use of violence?

Panovic: Not violence, but open war against our enemies. Considering the current situation in Serbia, it is impossible to expect any kind of help from Serbian leadership. But there are various kinds of fighting.

RFE/RL: Can you reveal us any of them?

Panovic: It’s still early for that.

Even though the authorities identified “1389” as potentially one of the most dangerous rightist groups, no one in Serbia complained about their organized activities in northern Kosovo. They are making their plans smoothly:

“We will very probably stay here to support our people. We will see what happens after barricades are removed. Our battle won’t stop.”

Visits of Serbs from the neighborhood

Let's get back to Belgrade. There is a criminal trial against Miso Vacic, leader of “1389” movement for discrimination of LGBT people. Serious sanctions and prison threats didn't stop his appearances in the media. On national rightist radio station Radio Focus, he recently said:

“We have established our coordination center on the Rudare barricade. There we welcome our members from Belgrade and other Serbian cities that came to help our local communities who are holding the barricades.”

Panovic said that the local population welcomed them with enthusiasm and he is not complaining about cooperation with local community either. He noted that it is much easier to act from there than from Serbia.

Panovic also notes that members of “1389” are not armed, but he did not want to say whether there are arms in the north. He dismisses any connection with criminal circles and he doesn't believe in dialogue with Albanians, whom he considers “enemies”.

“I see Kosovo and Metohija as Serbian territory. They are an inalienable part of Serbia. This is my motive for being here. International forces are to blame for this. This is an occupied territory. We see it like that and we will try to make it free by all means.”

The flags of several European countries displayed in the “1389” residence house are proof of the many visitors that they have had since they moved into this house.

“Guys from Montenegro came. Those are Serbs from Montenegro. Brother Russians from various organizations came to visit us few times. One delegation from Poland came. There were Slovaks. Those are mostly patriotic organizations from these countries. They are fighting for Serbian Kosovo.”

Gavrilo Princip, Karadzic and Mladic

Last week they hosted a most important visitor. Russian ambassador [to Serbia] Aleksandr Konuzin arrived with 27 trucks of aid for Serbs from northern Kosovo. When he tried to pass through the Jarinje border crossing, Panovic and Vacic were standing right next to him.

Local media did not point out that Russia’s ambassador sought his allies among members of an organization that is on the verge of prohibition and that is “inciting national, racial and religious hatred and intolerance”, according the Serbian Prosecutor’s office.

Members of this organization are not particularly worried about these accusations. Panovic claims that, even if the group is banned, the “1389” movement will not stop bits activities. When asked if that means that they are going to be illegal, he answered that they will rely on “different forms of fighting”.

Fighting is a word they insist on. Continuous and persistent and against the occupation--by all means. We asked Panovic who are his historical role models for the behavior that he is promoting:

“I certainly won't exaggerate if I say that it is Gavrilo Princip.”

RFE/RL: Many people consider him a terrorist.

Panovic: He is a hero for me because he confronted tyranny and great powers. This is what we have today.

RFE/RL: I see here pictures of Karadzic and Mladic.

Panovic: They too, especially Ratko Mladic, as a soldier.

In its program, “1389” states that “organizations have a purpose and nations have a meaning”. It is a convenient justification for a policy of using “all means”, and has not been disputed by local leaders calling for peaceful protest who ignore the mention of war and eternal struggle. But Serbian authorities have not shown any special interest in it, at least publicly, since the outbreak of the crisis in the “north.”