"We are not seeking justice for the person who passed away, it is about expelling us. If the state can't defend me, I don't know what to say," the owner told "Vreme" bakeries. His name is Liridon, and he asks that we not publish his last name.
Liridon is of Albanian nationality and did not hide anything from anyone this time. His young cousin, on the other hand, caused a terrible traffic accident in which one person died on Monday (February 9). Surdulicanin.
On social networks and in the Viber group, which has more than a thousand members, calls for protests and expulsion do not stop. Some members of the group take pictures and list who else is shopping in "Albanian"bakers, some even visit it at night. For Saturday (February 14), a new protest is called "Justice for Rastka", which is the name of the man who lost his life in an accident.
Photo: PrintskrinCorrespondence in the Viber group
The minister without portfolio is also in that Viber group Novica Tončev, who previously worked for "Vreme" dismissed some writings from the group as exaggerations by individuals, while he, he says, stands by his fellow Surdu people and only appeals to the authorities to do their job.
The young man who caused the accident is in custody.
The protest turned into a chauvinistic persecution of the whole family, it was also carried out in front of the house. "I had to get my wife and kids to safety. My friend was driving the kids while protesters attacked the vehicle and tried to stop it. He managed to escape. The kids can't calm down. I thought about taking them to the hospital but I didn't want to catch anyone's eye."
The children, he says, constantly ask him why they are being targeted and attacked and why they don't go to school.
The friend who transported him was also labeled a "traitor" in the Viber group. Soon, the location where Liridon sheltered his family was also announced in that group. Their photos are published with chauvinistic messages.
"My cousin worked in that bakery as a worker. When Rastko was killed, there was no protest for justice, that my cousin should be punished the most, but they are demanding that my family and I be expelled from Surdulica. I have twenty workers, should I be responsible for each of them? Why the protest against me, when I was not the driver?" states Liridon.
Hate crime
Katarina Golubović from the Committee of Lawyers for Human Rights says that we can already talk about hate crimes here. "This kind of behavior now represents a situation in which the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office must react urgently, due to the incitement of racial, religious and national hatred."
He says that local officials who have insight into Viber correspondence should react and oppose the lynching.
Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in To the Bishop Han in his response to "Vreme", he states that the police from Surdulica informed them about the protests and attacks, and that the prosecutor "ordered to carry out the necessary checks, collect information, identify persons and submit a report, and if necessary, carry out additional consultations".
The Prosecution, however, adds that the police did not inform them about the existence of the Viber group in which Maltene is colluding lynching.
