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Demonstrations in Kosovo in 1981 - Short History, The Possible Reasons and Media Coverage - by Faton Raci
Demonstrations in Kosovo in 1981 - Short History, The Possible Reasons and Media Coverage - by Faton Raci
Essay
Yugoslav President, Josip Broz Tito died in 1980. The following year massive
protest against the bad food in student’s cantina of the University of Kosovo, everything
turned into an open political riot, dominated by the demand for “Kosovo Republic”.
Mainly Albanian communist leadership of Kosovo soon after found a “solution”. They
intervened and brought in special federal police units and army tanks. That action caused
and closure of the university, deteriorating thus the relations between Albanian and
Serbian population. These were probably the first marking signs of what came later: total
Following the year 1974, when major constitutional changes were made in the
economical progress was raising for the first time in its history. Thus, the dilemma that
2
remains unclear even nowadays is who organized the demonstrations of 1981, Kosovo
Albanians, Serbian Secret Service, or were they planned and organized with the ‘foreign
assistance’? Why was picked the subsequent year of Tito’s death? How were the
This essay tend to provide a different views of these and some other issues, by
different views and conclusions about the demonstrations provided by some of the main
protagonists, local and international analysts, authors and thinkers, and by comparing
The beginning of the 20th century found Kosovo as an integral part of the Ottoman
Empire. In fact even though the first Albanian national awakening movement, or The
League of Prizren, occurred in 1878 in Prizren, Albania as an independent state has been
announced in 1912. Unfortunately, although part of the same national body many
territories inhabited by the Albanians were left out of it. Kosovo, which also remained
out, was further divided by its neighbor-states, Montenegro and Serbia. This occurrence
perceived it as a conquest.
Thus, after the World War I Kosovo found itself being part of the new Kingdom
of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Albanian insurgents hence continued their armed struggle,
3
They opposed the incorporation of Kosovo into Serbia. Serbian authorities, apart from
bloodshed suppression of such actions brought the Serbian and Montenegrin settlers to
Kosovo, who have banned the use of the Albanian language in all official or unofficial
Albanians were forcefully expatriated from Kosovo toward Turkey, until the World War
II1.
The World War II brought Kosovo under the occupation of Germany, Italy and
opportunity for revenge against the Serbian regime. But, with the triumph of Yugoslav
communist forces (partisans) Kosovo was again annexed by Serbia and it became part of
a newborn state, Yugoslavia. The persecution of many Albanians, who were by new
stopped only in 1966, after the removal of Aleksandar Rankovic, the Interior Minister of
Yugoslavia. Two years later, in November 1968, Kosovo Albanians held their first
massive demonstrations. This was the first time that Kosovo Albanians publicly
demanded more political rights and chanted the slogan “Kosovo Republic”. On the other
demonstrations were classified as aggressive and nationalistic, the following year (in
1969) the first university in Albanian language was opened. Kosovo Albanians then
acquired the right to use Albanian flag. Few years later, by the approbation of the new
1
Kosova Information Center, ‘Expulsion of Albanians and Colonization of Kosova’, (The Institute of
History in Prishtina, Prishtina:, 1997, Chapter II, Serbian Occupying Wars and Other Measures for
Expulsion of Albanians 1912-1941) <http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/Kosovo/chap2.htm> [Accessed on 15 July
2009]
4
Kosovo’s status became equal to other Yugoslav republics, as Kosovo now had the right
to independently appoint its highest officials, its president and the government, and its
representative for a seat within collective Yugoslav Presidency. Kosovar central bank and
its independent police forces were also established, as well as the right to veto laws
proclaimed by the Serbian Parliament which affected the province. Except this last prefix,
everything seemed smoothly flourishing and going upwards. But just for a couple of
years, until March 1981, when new massive demonstrations rocked Kosovo again and
revolt, caused by poor living conditions and bad diet in student’s dormitory cantina of
Soon after their slogans changed toward expression of economic and social
concerns of the demonstrators, as the slogan ‘Trepça2 produces, Belgrade is being build’
became the main one. Revolt gradually shifted, until it reached the point when few
thousand Kosovo Albanians occupied the main streets of Prishtina. As a result, the
slogans shifted two, and the new ones emphasized diverse political dimensions of the
Albanian lands’, ‘Kosovo Republic’, etc. Further, on 26 March, when Tito’s Relay
arrived in Prishtina demonstrators tried to grab it. Just then it became clear for Kosovar
2
The Trepça Mines was a huge industrial complex near Mitrovica, with around 23,000 employees. It was
considered as one of the biggest companies in socialist Yugoslavia.
5
government that students are strongly dedicated to act according to their slogans. Many
years later, in an interview for a Kosovar daily in 2006, Mahmut Bakalli, one of the most
prominent communist leaders in Kosovo at that time, said that such increase in numbers
"We made a plan how to solve the crises in Prishtina. I proposed that our police
should not care real bullets in their guns,” Bakalli recalled3. According to him, the
participants in the meeting. Thus, as Bakalli said: “He then organized the
demonstrations, knowing that policemen’s don’t have the real bullets. They were
encouraged to participate.”4
On the 1 and 2 April new demonstrations erupted throughout Kosovo, this time
with a considerable increase of participants. This was not a ‘game’ anymore, as it seemed
that Kosovo Albanians were strongly determined to continue with their demands for
‘Kosovo Republic’. Subsequently, large police and military forces were brought in to
that they didn’t invite the Federal Police or the Army to intervene. In fact, they were
right, as even though Federal Constitution forbid Serbia’s interference of any kind inside
the territory of Kosovo without gaining the permission from its politicians, it seemed that
intervene, by insisting that demonstrations in Kosovo represent direct peril for Yugoslav
sovereignty and territorial integrity. They knew that if is the case, the permission from
3
Baton Haxhiu, ‘Last Interview with the Former Yugoslav Leader, Mahmut Bakalli’, Express Newspaper,
(Prishtina: Sunday, 16 April 2006) p. 7
4
Ibid.
6
Kosovar politicians is not needed anymore. Thus, after the scramble that followed, the
official sources claimed nine people killed and few dozens wounded, even though
Albanian sources claimed that the number of those being killed and wounded was several
times higher; often exaggerated up to few hundreds. Actually, exact number of victims
emergency, curfew, and suspension of schools and faculties. However, those measures
did not prevent Kosovar citizens from demonstrating again, on 30 April and 18 May
1981. But, this time their number was significantly lower. Soon after, Kosovo Albanians
faced mass repression conducted by Federation. About four thousand people are
supposed to have been sentenced up to several years of imprisonment. The fact that state
repression has been rapidly increased following the demonstrations of 1981 was officially
confirmed even by the former head of police in Kosovo, and the last Communist leader of
Kosovo, Rrahman Morina, during the 17th meeting of the Central Committee of the
Communist League of Yugoslavia. Morina then stated that “between 1981 and 1988,
Even if student’s riots started on 11 March, they were not covered at all by the
Kosovar media. Instead, the initial incident was ‘camouflaged’, and was reported as a
fun’s cheering following the football match Prishtina-Partizan. Moreover, even when the
second student demonstrations occurred, on 26 March, the leading article of the front-
7
page of the only daily newspaper in Albanian, Rilindja, covered Tito’s relay5 in Kosovo,
respectively its arrival and festivities organized by the Youth of Communist League of
Kosovo6. According to Rilindja, nothing unusual occurred day before that, as its leading
article consisted of numerous quotations from the speech of Sanije Hyseni, the President
of the Youth of Communist League of Kosovo held on this occasion. Same article
continued into the second page, which was as well completely dedicated to her speech.
But, while reading the article one gets the impression that her speech was written much
earlier, or that she intentionally neglects the demonstrations of the previous day, as she
doesn’t mention the incident at all, even indirectly. Surprisingly, the same front-page had
enough space for even covering the so called ‘second hand events’, as is it the article
placed on the bottom of the page7, which is dealing with the meeting held at the
Parliament of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo about the preparations for
spring sowings. On the next issue of Rilindja, on 28 March, the leading article covers the
same event, although now through quite small article the newspaper for the first time
in fact the same meeting that Mahmut Bakalli mentions in 2006, in his interview for the
daily newspaper Express.) The only sentence of the article that indirectly show concerns
expressed by Kosovar leaders is “the necessity for the establishment of concrete acting
5
These kinds of festivities were common in former Yugoslav Federation. The purpose of the relay was to
mark the birthday of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, as well as the Day of Yugoslav Youth, both
officially celebrated on 25 May. Thus, relay toured all around Yugoslavia as a symbolic sign of fraternity
and union of all Yugoslav nations. On May 25 the relay was delivered to the President at the stadium of the
Yugoslav People Army, in Belgrade. 1981 was the first year that this ceremony was held without Tito. He
died on previous year.
6
‘Tito’s Work Kosovar Youth Founds as a Confident Way for Realization of its Progressive Aims’,
Rilindja, (Prishtina: Friday, 27 March 1981), p.1
7
‘Preparations Are Being Intensified’, Ibid.
8
plans in each location, aiming further extension of the capacities of all subjects for
Ironically, even the issue of Rilindja published on 2 April doesn’t have a single
word about the demonstrations on its first page. It seems that decrease of the furniture
prices by 20 per cent9 is more relevant then demonstrations of the previous day, which
obviously evinced the tendency towards further escalation. This article is published at the
bottom of the front page, but even the rest of the articles are dealing with the issues which
are, obviously, not occupying the attention of the readers. The main article treats the visit
of the President of The Joint Yugoslav Presidency, Cvijetin Mijatovic, in Zambia and
Tanzania.10 The second and the third are dealing with the issue of the ‘Extraordinary
Attention Needed for Industrial Plants’, respectively with the ‘Good Vicinity, as a Base
for Security’11. The only sign that, however, something indeed happened on 1 April, the
reader can find on the second page of the newspaper, in a miniature article placed within
a box, at the upper part of it. The article is named ‘An Intention for the Disturbance of the
Public Order in Prishtina’.12 “The hostile elements have again today tried to imperil
public order and calm in Prishtina, by chanting nationalist Albanian and other hostile
slogans”, emphasizes the article without authorship, a typical occurrence in Rilindja. The
article then shortly states that political organizations, as well as those in charge for the
security have undertook all the measures for blocking their hostile intentions.
with the first official response against the demonstrations. Its main article carried out an
8
‘The Socialization of the Resource Policy has Been Discussed’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Saturday, 28 March),
p.1
9
‘The Products – 20 Percent Cheaper’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Thursday, 2 April, 1981), p.1
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid. p.2
9
official address of the President of the Presidency of the Socialist Autonomous Province
of Kosovo, Xhavit Nimani, to Kosovars.13 Although, it looks like Mr. Nimani indirectly
readiness of the institutions to respond accordingly. What leads to this conclusion is that
he points out that Kosovo is facing difficulties, as a result of “the attacks of diverse forces
and activities of the forces from abroad, which are organized to act against Kosovo and in
Kosovo.”14 Mr. Nimani thus delivers clear accusations towards a undefined enemy,
situated somewhere outside Kosovo. Otherwise, the front-paged speech of Mr. Nimani is
accompanied by his picture and is surrounded by couple of other ‘news’ without any
pictures associated, most of which are telegrams sent in the name of the workers from
diverse working collectives, opposing the demonstrations and declaring the readiness of
particular senders to fight the joint enemy who organized hostile demonstrations. Even
anywhere else within the newspaper, in a small box on the bottom left of the front-page
Rilindja announced that the Secretary of the Internal Affairs of the Province has ordered
the prohibition of any group marching or gathering in the public places until current
security situation improves. There is also a short report about the support expressed to all
Kosovo institutions and the Kosovars, a conclusion from a joint meeting of the
Presidency of the Communist League of Serbia and the Serbian Republican Presidency,15
published on the page 5 of the newspaper. The integral text of Xhavit Nimani’s
addressing to Kosovars, although with different title16 and coupled with supporting letter
13
‘We Will Undertake all Pertinent Measures Against Hostile Activities’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Friday, 3
April), p.1
14
Ibid.
15
Ibid, p.5
16
‘Union is our Greatest Power in Combating any Enemy’, Jedinstvo, (Prishtina: Friday, 2 April 1981), p.1
10
from two highest Serbian institutions is also published in the front-page of the newspaper
doesn’t have any support letters in its front-page; instead it have the order of the
Province’s Secretary of Internal Affairs through which he, in fact, declares the state of
emergency in Kosovo.17
all other newspapers published in Kosovo (in Serbian daily Jedinstvo and in Tan, a
newspaper published in Turkish language) juts the official side of the story is reported.
For Rilindja, as well as for two other newspapers, priority is not an fair reporting of the
events, but the publication of all political speeches of main political players and letters of
from Kosovo and from other similar senders of Yugoslav Federation. The only news
worth mentioning from this period is the exempt of Mahmut Bakalli, President of the
Communist League of Kosovo, from all political posts, and his replacement with Veli
Deva, published in the front-page of the Rilindja, 6 May 1981.18 Ironically, Bakalli’s
political carrier began in 1969 when he replaced Mr. Deva, who was then Secretary of the
Internal Affairs for Kosovo. Although his replacement was unexpected for vast majority
of Kosovars, it was a clear signal that political cleansing and the political new era have
17
‘The Order of the Province’s Secretary for Internal Affairs’, Jedinstvo, (Prishtina: Friday, 2 April 1981),
p.1
18
‘The Struggle Against any Nationalism Demands an Compact Action and an Ideological Struggle of all
Communists”, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Wednesday, 6 May 1981), p.1
11
In order to get more balanced view concerning this period, it’s necessary to
In fact, one of the reasons why foreign media was more ‘informed’ is that
majority of politicians, regardless of them being from Kosovo or from the other parts of
Yugoslavia, were more than willing to give statements for international media, as they try
to convince the world that Yugoslav society have nothing to hide on this matter.
The U.S. newspaper The New York Times (NYT) has, for instance, published 13
articles on Kosovo in 1981. These articles provide the atmosphere in Kosovo those days,
that proceeded and were unreachable for the majority of Kosovars. For instance, Martin
reluctant to talk about the rioting … Most of those questioned said they
did not want to talk about the rioting, were not around at the time or
The reason for fear seems to be logical since, as Howe points out, according to
official sources, at least nine people are dead and 59 seriously injured.20 “Nearly a month
after the rioting”, begins another Howe’s article written a week latter, “it is still unclear
what the troubles were all about.”21 He in fact explains general confusion among
Yugoslav political elite, for whom the events represented a totally unexpected
19
Marvin Howe, ‘Roots of Yugoslav Riots: Vague 'Enemy' Blamed’, The New York Times, (New York:
Monday, 20 April 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A) p. 2, Web-source: <http://emperors-
clothes.com/a/13.htm> [Accessed on 21 July 2009]
20
Ibid.
21
Marvin Howe, ‘Yugoslavs, Shaken By Riots, Fear Plot’, The New York Times, (New York: Monday, 27
April 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A) p. 3, Web-source: <http://emperors-clothes.com/a/13.htm>
[Accessed on 21 July 2009]
12
experience. They were convinced that after 1974 Kosovo’s position within Yugoslav
Federation advanced in all possible dimensions. Nevertheless, Howe further explains that
article emphasizes.22 His claim is quite similar with the one of Mr. Nimani, cited above.
When Rilindja published the article about ousting Mahmut Bakalli,23 it was clear that he
will not be the only senior politician to be replaced. “Purges of Government and
Communist Party ranks since the riots have included the ousting of the Kosovo party
chief, Mahmut Bakalli, and the provincial president, Xhavit Nimani,” emphasizes the
Reuters report, dated 18 October 1981.24 Report also clarifies that around 300 Albanians
since then have faced harsh sentences, up 15 years of imprisonment, for organizing the
riots and for being members of diverse clandestine organizations sympathizing with
Albania. “We have dealt with the organizers of the riots, but nationalism is a state of
mind that requires a long-lasting struggle,” new member of the new Kosovo leadership,
Conclusion
22
Ibid.
23
Rilindja, 6 May 1981
24
Reuters, ‘Rioting by Albanian Nationalists has Left Scars in Yugoslav Region’, The New York Times,
(New York: Monday, 19 October 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A), p.4 Web-Source: <http://emperors-
clothes.com/a/13.htm> [Accessed on 21 July 2009]
25
Ibid.
13
Robert Goro, a Correspondent for BBC from Athens and the Editor in Chief of
the Tribuna Shqiptare26, has for a long time collected and studied diverse pronouncements
linked to demonstrations. According to him, on the 11 March 1981, all started when
during a lunchtime in university cantina a student found a roach in his soap. “He and his
colleagues got outraged, and began to shout various slogans against the conditions in
students’ dormitory. Spontaneously, the protests moved out to the streets of Prishtina”27,
where around 4,000 citizens who were then getting out from the city stadium, after the
football match between Prishtina and Partizan Belgrade, joined the students. Mr. Goro
argues that, what started that Sunday afternoon was rough casted for decades and just
raised during the recent years, when anti-Albanian policy of official Serbia begun to ‘play
its real game’28. Manifesto of this policy was the "Blue Book", a publication prepared by
the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, aimed to abrogate Kosovo’s right as
constitutional element of Yugoslav Federation and all its competencies29. Thus, what Mr.
Goro points out is that it is very possible that students’ demonstrations could have been
(PKLMSHJ) in 1981, who was by the Yugoslav regime convicted with 11 years of
26
Tribuna Shqiptare is a weekly magazine in Albanian language, published in Athens, Greece.
27
Robert Goro, ‘Kosovo, a Delayed Birth’, Tribuna Shqiptare, (Athens: Monday, 23 February 2009),
<http://www.tribuna-news.com/mat.php?idm=1905> [Accessed on 25 July 2009]
28
Ibid
29
The book, which came into circulation in 1977, argued the destruction of all rights that Kosovo and
Kosovar Albanians gained by the Federal Constitution of 1974.
14
dictatorial regime had its own version of classifying those events. According to him, they
knew that demonstrations will happen sooner or later, as the Communist Marxist Leninist
Party of the Albanians in Yugoslavia warned them that demonstrations will occur if
Yugoslavia will not fulfill request for the advancement of Kosovo’s current status into
conclusion that, despite the fact that most senior Yugoslav politicians claim that
demonstrations were carefully prepared and planned outside Yugoslavia, while indirectly
pointing towards Albania as a potential planner of the demonstrations, they were planed
Considering the fact that President Tito died in 1980, Albanian population in
Kosovo suddenly felt left without a clear perspective, as he was by Kosovo Albanians
less same assertion provided by Robert Goro.31 Otherwise, if Yugoslav Government had
any kind of evidence pointing toward direct or indirect involvement of Albania, they
would certainly not hesitate to bring concrete evidences instead of making dusky
On the other side, if we carefully read the discussion of Professor Ukshin Hoti,
held in 1981 in the Philosophic Faculty in Prishtina, which also on 26 June 1987 sent to
30
Abdullah Prapashtica, ‘The Last Letter Addressed to Fadil Hoxha, on the Eve of Demonstration in 1981’,
Dervina, (Prishtina: Monday, 10 March 2008, 09:25:37) <http://lajme.dervina.com/archive/6536-
2295:770/NE-PERVJETORIN-E-DEMONSTRATAVE-TE-1981(I).htm> [Accessed on 15 July 2009]
31
See Robert Goro
15
the Central Committee of the Communist League of Yugoslavia, 32 it becomes even more
obvious that this clam stands. Professor Hoti is providing the example of independence of
India from the United Kingdom, through which he shows the effect that this event had in
increasing the percentage of Scotsmen’s favoring the independence of Scotland from the
concludes33.
Hence, I found it logical that Kosovo Albanians faced the same feelings and
dilemmas in 1981. Moreover, even a CIA report compiled during that period is pointing
out a numerous reasons disavowing any outside engagement in these events.34 Under the
stability in Albania, and will avoid doing anything which might condition
those who will form the new leadership there to favor closer relations with
Moscow. In this connection, both Belgrade and Tirana know that their own
country.”
32
Ukshin Hoti, ‘The Request for Republic is a Request for an Increased Development’, part of the
discussion, Philosophic Faculty in Prishtina,1981, (Prishtina: 25 June 1987)
33
Ibid.
34
CIA, ‘USSR AND EASTERN EUROPE REVIEW - Kosovar Demonstrations’, CIA Documents, (CIA:
Released period 7 June 1981 – 4 November 1981) Web- source:
<http://www.faqs.org/cia/docs/36/0000371968/USSR-AND-EASTERN-EUROPE-REVIEW.html>
[Accessed on 21 July 2009]
16
zero, but Yugoslavia needed to somehow identify a foreign engagement for its internal
purposes.
I think two totally opponent players: the illegal Marxist-Leninist political parties
The reasons behind this claim are that illegal Marxist-Leninist parties were not
Kosovo with Albania. On the other side, Serbia’s constant tendency was to ruin current
constitutional status of Kosovo and to bring it back under its dominance. The best
illustration of such thinking is the period which came after the demonstrations of 1981,
and the implications that they had in political, economical and in any other aspect
concerning Kosovo. The period after 1981 hence served just as an overture for the
or the victims, I deeply think that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent
fall of the Eastern Communist block, which caused a total change on the World’s
Yugoslavia, and, as a result, the interest of the West to support all anti-communist groups
has changed their focus, and gradually became to be deeply engaged in the preparation of
the arm struggle with Serbia. We all know the rest of the story.
17
References:
- Abdullah Prapashtica, ‘The Last Letter Addressed to Fadil Hoxha, on the Eve of
Demonstrations in 1981’, Dervina, (Prishtina: Monday, 10 March 2008, 09:25:37)
18
<http://lajme.dervina.com/archive/6536-2295:770/NE-PERVJETORIN-E-
DEMONSTRATAVE-TE-1981(I).htm> [Accessed on 15 July 2009]
- Baton Haxhiu, ‘Last Interview with the Former Yugoslav Leader, Mahmut Bakalli’,
Express Newspaper, (Prishtina: Sunday, 16 April 2006) p. 7
- Marvin Howe, ‘Roots of Yugoslav Riots: Vague 'Enemy' Blamed’, The New York
Times, (New York: Monday, 20 April 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A) p. 2, Web-source:
<http://emperors-clothes.com/a/13.htm> [Accessed on 21 July 2009]
- Marvin Howe, ‘Yugoslavs, Shaken By Riots, Fear Plot’, The New York Times, (New
York: Monday, 27 April 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A) p. 3, Web-source:
<http://emperors-clothes.com/a/13.htm> [Accessed on 21 July 2009]
- ‘Preparations Are Being Intensified’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Friday, 27 March 1981), p.1
- Reuters, ‘Rioting by Albanian Nationalists has Left Scars in Yugoslav Region’, The
New York Times, (New York: Monday, 19 October 1981, Foreign Desk, Section A), p.4
<http://emperors-clothes.com/a/13.htm> [Accessed on 21 July 2009]
- ‘Tito’s Work Kosovar Youth Founds as a Confident Way for Realization of its
Progressive Aims’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Friday, 27 March 1981), p.1
- ‘The Socialization of the Resource Policy has Been Discussed’, Rilindja, (Prishtina:
Saturday, 28 March), p.1
- ‘The Products – 20 Percent Cheaper’, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Thursday, 2 April, 1981), p.1
- ‘The Order of the Province’s Secretary for Internal Affairs’, Jedinstvo, (Prishtina:
Friday, 2 April 1981), p.1
19
- ‘The Struggle Against any Nationalism Demands an Compact Action and an Ideological
Struggle of all Communists”, Rilindja, (Prishtina: Wednesday, 6 May 1981), p.1
- Ukshin Hoti, ‘The Request for Republic is a Request for an Increased Development’,
part of the discussion, Philosophic Faculty in Prishtina, 1981, (Prishtina: 25 June 1987)
- ‘Union is our Greatest Power in Combating any Enemy’, Jedinstvo, (Prishtina: Friday, 2
April 1981), p.1
- ‘We Will Undertake all Pertinent Measures Against Hostile Activities’, Rilindja,
(Prishtina: Friday, 3 April), p.1