The “Not in My Name” protest was held once again this evening in Pristina’s Skanderbeg Square, marking the seventh consecutive night. The protesters oppose the decision by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague concerning the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
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Among the speakers was Gentian Selimi, a student at Ahmet Gashi High School and the nephew of former KLA commander Rexhep Selimi. He stressed that, although he did not live through the war, his generation has a duty to ensure that the sacrifice on which Kosovo’s freedom was built is not forgotten.
Selimi introduced himself as a young man who knows the war only through history, songs and stories. He said he had not witnessed the burning of the country, the forced expulsion of families from their homes, or the decision by young men and women to dedicate their lives to freedom, but that it was precisely because of that sacrifice that he was attending the protest. This was reported by ekonomiaonline.
According to him, the freedom in which he grew up was not accidental, but the result of the sacrifice made by an earlier generation.
He said that the opportunity to dream, pursue an education, plan for the future and consider Kosovo his homeland exists thanks to those who gave everything for freedom. For this reason, Selimi added, the generation that did not experience the war must not become the generation that forgets it.
Referring to the purpose of the protest, he said citizens had gathered to demand justice for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. Selimi stressed that the protesters have both the voice and the right to express their convictions through the call, “Not in My Name!”
During his speech, he also listed the things that, in his view, the younger generation refuses to allow to be forgotten: the price paid by the people for freedom, the thousands of families who lost loved ones, the missing persons whose families are still waiting for answers, and the testimony of a nation that achieved a free Kosovo through hardship.
Selimi stressed that the protest was not driven by hatred, but by the need to preserve memory and demand equal justice for everyone. According to him, justice must serve the truth.
He also spoke about how the memory of the war is built. Memorials, the names of the KLA, songs dedicated to martyrs and freedom, as well as the stories of the generation that lived through that period, remind him that freedom came at a price.
Songs about the martyrs, bravery and Kosovo, he said, are not merely melodies, but carry with honor and pride the voice of a generation that fought and sacrificed for the freedom of others.
According to Selimi, the mountains, roads, burned homes, graves, songs and memorials are all part of Kosovo’s history. All of these, he added, testify that freedom was not achieved easily and that great sacrifices lie behind it.
He went on to say that he wanted to speak not only on his own behalf, but on behalf of his entire generation, which knows the war through history, songs and stories, and has a duty to ensure that it is not erased from memory.
Selimi said that the younger generation inherited not only a state, but also a trust: to love Kosovo, protect it and follow the example of those who fought and sacrificed for their homeland. He called for the country to be built through knowledge, work and responsibility, while freedom and peace, for which blood was shed, must be preserved.
He also called for all those who sacrificed themselves to be remembered and for people to have the courage to raise their voices whenever they believe an injustice has been committed.
He concluded his speech by dedicating the protest’s call to the fallen, the missing and their families, war veterans and war invalids, all those who sacrificed themselves, and future generations: “Not in My Name! Not in My Name!”
