Protesters rally against Kosovo independence
Canadian Press
February 24, 2008 at 8:06 PM EST
MONTREAL — Serbian nationalists gathered Sunday in two more Canadian cities to protest U.S. recognition of Kosovo's declaration of independence.
Close to 200 demonstrators marched through downtown Montreal before holding a vocal but peaceful rally in front of the U.S. consulate.
Several speakers criticized countries like the U.S., France and Germany for quickly endorsing Kosovo's break from Serbia last week.
“The democratic rights of a country are being violated,” organizer Diana Todic said of Serbia. “What precedent are we creating?”
She called on Canada to avoid doing the same, warning it could embolden Quebec sovereigntists.
Several supporters from the Greek Orthodox community also joined in the protest as they, like Serbians, trace their spiritual roots to medieval Kosovo.
While the protest was peaceful, demonstrators did not disguise their enmity for Kosovo's Albanian majority.
One protester's sign read “Albaniens (sic) are immigrants in Serbia.”
“Albanians . . . invaded our province and then settled there and never allowed Serbs to come back,” Ms. Todic said following the rally.
“This is an issue that, for the past 50 years, the rest of the world has known nothing about.”
Canada has so far avoided taking a stand on the Kosovo issue. Many observers have attributed Ottawa's reluctance to concerns about the domestic implications of recognizing a unilateral declaration of independence.
The protest came a day after similarly peaceful event Saturday in Toronto, which drew upward of 2,000 people.
Serbian flags and protest placards dotted a crowd of about 800 who rallied in Vancouver against Kosovo's breakaway move.
“Canada, help Serbia at this difficult time,” pleaded speaker Boris Malagurski, a Serbian-born university student. “Help us and we shall not forget your kindness and will forever be grateful.
“The world must understand that we shall never recognize Kosovo's independence, not now, not in a year, not in a decade, never. Kosovo will remain Serbia forever.”
Mr. Malagurski, who helped organize the rally, said separatist groups in places such as Quebec and Spain's Basque region are watching closely how countries react to Kosovo's move.
“If you break international law once in the case of Serbia, you can't explain to all the other regions why that can't secede,” he said in an interview. “That's why we think the Kosovo secession is very bad for the world right now.”
Mr. Malagurski, 19, said the Albanian-dominated Kosovo government has done nothing to protect minority Serbian rights in the region. He said the best solution for both groups is an autonomous Kosovo as part of a united Serbia.
More protests are planned next weekend in Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary.
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