The St. Tsar Lazar Guard ( sr, Гарда светог цара Лазара, Garda svetog cara Lazara), commonly known as Tsar Lazar Guard (Гарда цара Лазара) was an ultra-nationalistic organization led by Hadži Andrej Milić and Željko Vasiljević. It was formed by the Movement of Veterans of Serbia to fight against Kosovo independence from Serbia. It is named after Prince

Lazar of Serbia Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...

, who died in the

Battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...

. On 5 May 2007, the National Serbian Movement hosted a Serbian Assembly in the

Lazarica Church Church of the Holy First Martyr Stephen ( sr, Црква Светог Првомученика Стефана/Crkva Svetog Prvomučenika Stefana), better known as the Lazarica Church (Serbian: Црква Лазарица/Crkva Lazarica), is a Serb ...

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

where it swore in "the Saint Tsar Lazar Guard vowed to free Kosovo and Metohija." Vasiljević stated it would be "the establishment of a first uniformed Christian militia squad, war veterans from all over Serbia." Serbian police detained 27 people at the event. On 28 June 2007, the Guard took part in the Battle of Kosovo commemoration organized by the Serbian government. UN officials reacted strongly to the Guard's presence, and international officials claimed that it was provocation and attempt to destabilize the situation. The

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall ...

(UNMIK) has prohibited the organization from entering

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and deemed it illegal. It is considered a group of

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

ian ultra-nationalists who utilize rhetorical statements that promote that Albanians be killed or expelled and opposing Serbs to be "dealt with". In mid-November 2007, the group said that war in Kosovo was inevitable, with Milić saying that "Just as Martić shelled Zagreb, we will do the same to

Priština Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians an ...

. Since the Šiptars have reproduced like rabbits, they will die like rabbits. There will be no survivors. God help the Serbian military and police if they try and get in our way. We will view them as the enemy, and we will do to them the same as we'll do to the Šiptars." In late November, he was detained by Serbian police, but later released. On 23 February 2008, the organization claimed responsibility for the burning of the border post at Rudnica. Milić was arrested on 9 September 2010, after threats against the year's

Pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

. He claimed that he suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

while imprisoned in Belgrade.

References

{{reflist Defunct political organizations in Serbia Far-right politics in Serbia Serbian nationalism Nationalist organizations Organizations established in 2007 Organizations disestablished in 2010 2007 establishments in Serbia 2010 disestablishments in Serbia