Radoicic at Kragujevac SNS rally: Pristina demands action

Kosovo authorities are asking the international community to respond to the appearance of Milan Radoicic at a Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) campaign rally in Kragujevac. Pristina sees it as proof that Serbia stood behind the Banjska attack, and Glauk Konjufca and Albulena Haxhiu are demanding condemnation and concrete consequences for Belgrade.

Radoicic, a former vice president of the Serb List, was filmed on Friday, October 9, outside the Jezero hall, where the rally of the list headed by Aleksandar Vucic, until recently the country’s president, took place. In footage from an N1 crew he stands next to Danilo Vucic, the son of Aleksandar Vucic, who arrived at the rally, according to N1, in a convoy of several vehicles with flashing lights.

What did the Kosovo government say after the rally?

In a response to Radio Free Europe (RFE), the Kosovo government called Radoicic’s presence “evidence confirming that the terrorist attack in Banjska, in the municipality of Zvecan, was planned, financed and organized by the state of Serbia.” It added that this should be an “alarm for the EU and other Western countries.”

The claim about Radoicic’s relationship with Danilo Vucic was especially sharp:

“Not only does the state of Serbia not extradite Milan Radoicic to our authorities so he can answer before our judiciary, not only do the authorities there not prosecute him, but he even escorts and protects the son of Serbia’s former president,” the Kosovo government said in its response.

The footage shows Radoicic standing next to Danilo Vucic, but N1 did not report that he was providing security. That is the Kosovo government’s claim, not something established by the footage. RFE says it asked the Serbian Progressive Party and the European Union for comment, and asked the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade whether the investigation against Radoicic is still under way and whether the requirement that he report to police twice a month remains in force. According to RFE, all three answers are still pending.

How did Konjufca link Dacic and Radoicic?

On October 10, Konjufca used X to connect two events from the same week. The first was a speech by Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) president Ivica Dacic on October 7 in Raska, at a campaign rally of the “Stability Factor” list. Dacic said then that the SPS will never recognize Kosovo’s independence and that Kosovo “can be occupied,” but that it “will never be independent.” He singled out Prizren, his home town:

“Nobody could ever take Kosovo and Metohija from our hearts and the depths of our souls. Sooner or later the Serbian flag will fly over Prizren, you can be sure of that,” Dacic said.

The second event was Radoicic’s appearance two days later. In his post, Konjufca wrote that the two events “are not isolated provocations,” and continued:

“They reveal the continuity of a dangerous political doctrine: territorial expansionism in rhetoric and impunity for armed aggression in practice,” Konjufca said.

He urged the international community to “unequivocally condemn” such conduct and demand accountability. Dacic’s message also opened a second topic in Albanian media: Self-Determination lawmaker Artan Abrashi posted archive footage of Dacic’s 2010 visit to Prizren and wrote: “You are superfluous in Prizren.”

What does the Kosovo Assembly speaker want?

Haxhiu, whom KoSSev identifies as the speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, says the footage from Kragujevac shows that Radoicic “not only finds refuge in Serbia, but is received and respected in circles of power.” His appearance at a rally of the ruling party, she said, can no longer be viewed merely as a question of cooperation with the Kosovo judiciary.

“His presence in circles close to the authorities raises direct questions about the political responsibility of the Serbian authorities, who should stop protecting him and hand him over to Kosovo, where he should answer for the attack he organized,” Haxhiu said.

She asks the international community to back the extradition request with “concrete pressure and consequences.”

Maja Bjelos, an independent security expert, told RFE that the aim of Radoicic’s appearance was “above all to intimidate supporters of the Student List.” The “Students Win” student list is considered the main rival of the SNS in the coming elections.

What is known about Banjska and Radoicic’s status?

Radoicic took responsibility for organizing the armed group that clashed with Kosovo Police in Banjska on September 24, 2023. Police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, and three Serbs from the group also died in the fighting. Radoicic then resigned as vice president of the Serb List.

Kosovo has issued five arrest warrants for him, and in December 2023 Interpol issued a warrant for Radoicic and 11 other people. Forty-five people have been charged over the Banjska attack, three have been convicted by Kosovo courts, and the rest, including Radoicic, are on the run. In Serbia, no indictment over Banjska has been filed yet, despite calls from the EU, the US and NATO. Official Belgrade denies standing behind the attack.

At the end of June, while still president, Aleksandar Vucic said Radoicic is not a criminal and that the warrant for him was issued not over crime but over Kosovo. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti refuses high-level dialogue with Serbia until Radoicic is prosecuted and handed over to Pristina. On the third anniversary of the attack, the European Union called for those responsible to face legal consequences, and a European Commission spokesperson confirmed that Kaja Kallas raised the issue in a conversation with Vucic on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.