Serb vigilantes pledge to fight over Kosovo

Kosovo's declaration of independence has led to an increase in the activity of radical groups in Serbia. More and more young people are looking to join nationalist movements and some of them are considering extreme measures to win the province back.

They call themselves “Obraz” which means “icon”. The group is considered to be one of the most radical in Serbia. They want to unify all the lands, where Serbs live.

“The group ”Obraz“ is getting larger and larger. And when all of Serbia is demolished, diplomatic methods will not be enough,” Mladen Obradovich, Obraz secretary, said.

Created as an underground movement 18 years ago, it gathered momentum in the late 1990s.

It has the support of Nikola Kavaja, who’s spent 20 years in prison for hijacking a U.S. plane in an attempt to kill former Yugoslavian President, Jozip Broz Tito. 

Western media and politicians have blamed Serbia for much of the aggression that has taken place in the Balkans over the last two decades. But Serbs saw it as the only way to defend their country.

A new generation of Serbs has grown up with the strong desire to fight against the Alliance and many radical movements have emerged as a result.

One of them – the “National Formation” – has been banned. Authorities in the town of Novy Sad, where the movement is based, won’t allow them to conduct any pubic rallies.

The group’s leader says all possible means are good when one’s land is occupied.

“I am not Bin Laden, neither am I a terrorist. I can’t order terrorist acts. But if the acts happen, I would support them, because when your land is occupied, all measures should be taken to get it back,” said Goran Davidovich, leader of “National Formation”.

After two decades of both armed and diplomatic struggle over the territories, the leader of the “National Formation” explains that some are once again ready to take extreme measures.

“Everyone has weapons in Serbia. When the time comes, we’ll act,” Davidovich added.