"Kosovo je Srbija" is a slogan that has been used in Serbia since at least 2004, popularised as a reaction to Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. The slogan has been used by a series of protests, and by the Serbian Government. The slogan has appeared on T-shirts and in graffiti and was placed on the websites of Kosovan institutions by hackers in 2009. The slogan is used by Serbs across the world. The slogan first campaigned officially by the Serbian government protesting Western powers.
Protests
A Kosovo je Srbija rally organised by the Serbian government was held on 21 February 2008 in Belgrade in front of the Parliament, with around 200,000–500,000 people attending. The US Embassy was set on fire by a small group of protesters. A small protest also occurred in London and 5,000 protesters demonstrated in Kosovska Mitrovica the following day. Kosovo police were injured during a protest by 150 war veterans at a border crossing on 25 February.
When Serbia agreed to integrated border arrangement, right-wing organisations protested outside of Belgrade shouting "Kosovo je Srbija".
Notable uses
In March 2008, American-born Serbian swimmer Milorad Čavić won the European championship in the 50 m butterfly, setting the new European record, a result briefly quashed when the European Swimming Federation disqualified the swimmer for wearing a T-shirt at the medals ceremony that read “Kosovo is Serbia” in Cyrillic.
On January 15, 2017, Serbian authorities sent a train from Belgrade destined for Kosovo, painted with the slogan and iconography inside, which was stopped at the border by Kosovar officials as it was considered to be provocative. Aleksandar Vučić ordered the train to be stopped at Raška as he believed the rail had been mined. The new train was intended for peace relations but was instead used by Tomislav Nikolić to the "brink of conflict", according to Kosovar officials.
Historians Noel Malcolm and Andrea R. Nagy commented on the slogan. Malcolm claimed that Kosovo was not the "cradle" of Serbia as it was held by Serbs only centuries after they invaded the Balkans and then only for 250 years before the Ottoman occupation. Kosovo was liberated by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1912 and became part of Yugoslavia in 1918. Nagy states that "In some sense this slogan is true", but notes that Kosovo was administered by Serbia for only a short period.
