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beaeglebeach

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“They seem to be one of the least xenophobic places out there nowadays.”

Have you ever been to Serbia?

Have you?

I have. And it's a preposterous statement. And the Serbs that I consider my friends would readily agree with that.

Can you elaborate? I live in Serbia for two years and don't feel much xenophobia towards me. I am aware of above-average homophobic sentiment here, and some hate towards ex-Yugoslav neighbors, but hey, they were at war and it is mutual.

I take issue with the "least xenophobic places out there nowadays", I don't think that needs further elaboration, it would require a lot of work to establish that any place is compatible with that label and based on what I've seen Serbia likely would not be close to the top of the list, you give two nice examples already and I would have a couple of others.

Well, given the current state of affairs in the EU/UK, with those anti-Israel marches on one side and the general stance toward migrants on the other, Serbia seems like a quieter haven to me right now. Also, Serbs are very relaxed and genuinely friendly. Also, the crime rate is relatively low (especially given the amount of firearms, or maybe thanks to it). So, if the author of the previous comment is looking for a place to move, Serbia can be a good fit regarding the overall level of hospitality/peace of mind.

You seem to always pop up when there's a thread about Serbia and you always post about Serbs and Serbia in a negative context no matter what it's about. I lived in Serbia for 6 years and no, they are overall not xenophobic people.

> You seem to always pop up when there's a thread about Serbia and you always post about Serbs and Serbia in a negative context no matter what it's about. I lived in Serbia for 6 years and no, they are overall not xenophobic people.

That's bullshit, twice over. For one I don't pop up in every thread about Serbia (and a casual inspection of your comment history shows that you in fact do exactly that), for another I have not made the claim that they are overall xenophobic people, that's your strawman.

I wouldn't make the claim that people from NL (where I'm from), Germany, Serbia or any other country that I'm familiar with is "the least xenophobic places out there nowadays".

If you can prove the opposite I'll be happy to take it back. Just like those other countries I've mentioned Serbia has it's problems. Denying that doesn't make it so.

...I guess unless you're one of the minorities, or speak the "wrong" accent. Then all of a sudden you're not welcome anymore.

Please do share what's happening with minorities and people with the wrong accent daily in Serbia. I live there, perhaps I'm missing something.

P.S. my accent is also wrong, should I be afraid?

I only have some annecdotal stories, from a friend who grew up in Croatia and then had to flee during the Yugoslavia war, where one of the parents is Serbian and the other is Albanian. The stories are both from his childhood (being pushed into the sea as a kid, because they noticed he's from a certain group, not being sold bread as a kid because he used the wrong word when ordering) and from recent years (e.g. getting beaten up at a bar by a group of people, because from his accent it was clear he wasn't from that area).

I'm not trying to say that Serbia sucks, or that Serbs suck, or that all Serbs are like that, or anything in that direction. Almost all people I personally know from ex-Yugoslavia (including Serbia) are great people. But – especially given the conflict-rich history of that area – there are still a lot of conflicts and animosities between ethnic groups, and Serbia also has its fair share of xenophobia (in contrast to what GP suggested in their comment).

What's happening is what's happening everywhere else: there are different Serbians, some are great, some are nice, some are not so nice and some are terrible.

Ask Serbs what they think about gypsies, gays, and jews.

Eh, I kind of hoped for at least an attempt to substantiate opinions, but fat chance.

I didn't notice anything in the article suggesting the citizenship is just honorary.

But the article was also surprisingly silent on why they were becoming Serbian citizens.

There are plenty of reasons that aren't xenophobia to not have open borders.

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