The Berlin newspaper "Taz" analyzes how the Serbian right uses the character of Charlie Kirk to get closer to US President Trump
The Berlin daily "Tagescheitung" (Taz) reports on a mural about five meters high, which appeared on Gazela in Belgrade on September 25. Deutsche Welle (DW).
"It shows Charlie Kirk in a white Illinois White Eagles jersey with the Serbian coat of arms, the number seven and a basketball in his hand." Next to it is the inscription: "Charli Kirković 1993-2025 RIP".
The author of the text, Krsto Lazarevic, states that the mural was created by the Center for Social Stability and quotes Southeastern Europe expert Aleksandra Tomanić, who says that it is a "pro-government organization that publicly supports the president's policy and acts as another voice of the regime, disguised as an independent NGO."
The text states that the Center for Social Stability published a video of the creation of the mural with the message: "He defended family, religion and freedom of speech."
The author notes that "the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, spoke highly of Kirk's character on the show "American Agenda" on the right-wing American television channel Newsmax - although the presenters did not ask him about it. (...) "100 percent of Serbs know everything about him," Vučić said then, Taz writes.
The author further analyzes Kirk's biography and connections with the Serbian diaspora. "In his podcast "Charlie Kirk Show", the evangelical right-wing activist says that he grew up among Serbs in Chicago and played for the "Illinois White Eagles", a Serbian youth amateur team", writes Lazarevic and emphasizes that "'White Eagles' is also the name for right-wing paramilitary formations responsible for war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina".
In the podcast, Kirk states, reports taz, that "all the players on the team were white and that everyone except him was Serb. 'I have a weakness for Serbs. They are great,' he says - and boasts that he knows the worst Serbian swear words. He adds that at the time they called him 'Seva Kirkovic'." It is added that the recording is from the spring of 2022.
Taz writes that the story about Kirk playing for the Illinois White Eagles was initially thought to be false. "But after his death, the profile "Serbs for Trump" (Serbs for Trump) published a photo of Kirk in a team jersey. TikTok profile "hoopcrashout" posted a video of Kirk allegedly hitting threes. (…) So many things indicate that Kirk, born in 1993, really played for the Serbian youth team in Chicago."
The text goes on to say that the mural in Belgrade was soon desecrated and parts were covered with black paint. "Death to fascism was written on the ground in front of the mural, along with slogans such as 'Death to NATO occupiers', 'Zionism = Nazism' and 'My p...a, my decision'. Antifa symbols, the LGBTQ+ flag, the hammer and sickle, the anarchist A and the Venus symbol were also added," the author of the text in the Berlin daily said.
It is reported that some activists believe that the mural was destroyed by anti-fascists, and the Center publicly expressed its dismay at the destruction of the mural and accuses 'Antifa' and 'anarcho-Bolshevik' groups. "At the same time, they are spreading the lie that Charlie Kirkaubio is a leftist," the author points out. At the same time, it remains unclear who destroyed the mural.
The paper writes that in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, a commemoration for Kirk was held in front of the Republika Srpska parliament in Banja Luka. "RS President Milorad Dodik posted a video of the event on Instagram with the message: 'Serbs preserve the traditional and family values that he stood for.' The event looks more like an attempt to flatter Trump and the American right than a sincere mourning", comments Taz.
Charlie Kirk has a posthumous role in Croatia as well. A conference in his honor was held in Dubrovnik under the slogan "Make Europe Great Again". The conference was organized by right-wing groups close to the American MAGA movement, with the presence of political actors from the region.
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
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