Libyan president Muammar Al Gaddafi gave an 8-minute phone interview to Serbian TV Pink on February 28, describing Libya as “an absolutely peaceful” country and declaring its rebellious people “Al Qaida gangs.” He spoke of unrestrained and drugged groups of young people who occupied mosques, intimidating visitors: They fired at a mosque with machine guns. The young people were moving through the streets, firing from Kalashnikovs. […] They were shooting at anything that moves. Whoever was moving, they would kill him. If someone opposed them, they would slaughter him the way [Zarqawi] did. Without any doubt, these gangs are Al Qaeda. […] Muammar al Gaddafi says Libyans have no reason to rebel. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jesse B. Awalt/Public domain) Gaddafi also referred to the story of the alleged participation of Serbian military pilots in the bombing of protesters, calling it a failed attempt of bad propaganda placed by the (unnamed) Arab media outlets. He suggested that a Serbian pilot had been offered money to falsely accuse the Libyan army of ordering him to shoot at the people: An Arab station was in contact with a Serbian Air Force officer named Daniel. They were trying to bribe him into saying that Libya sought the planes of Serbia to attack its citizens. They told him: “Say that and you'll get the money.” TV Pink also ran a short report from Tripoli, showing scenes that fit Gaddafi's description of a “peaceful Libya”: sunlit streets with palm trees, luxury cars and relaxed residents sitting in local street cafés. Life looks completely normal, including at a residential block that had otherwise reportedly been bombed by Gaddafi's forces. TV Pink, Serbian national consciousness Undoubtedly, Gaddafi has chosen the right channel for his appearance. TV Pink is one of the most popular national TV networks that mainly runs entertainment content (reality shows, music, soap operas). In the '90s, its greatest popularity came with local prophets and astrologists. TV Pink was founded during the reign of Slobodan Milosevic. The owner of TV Pink, Zeljko Mitrovic, was a member of JUL, a political party led by Milosevic's wife, Mira Markovic. In this period, a friendship with Zoran Lilic, the former President of Yugoslavia and a Milosevic supporter, was formed, and it is rumored that he was the one who helped arrange the “exclusive” interview with Gaddafi. Where is the blood? Reactions to the interview were naturally varied, but comments on one Serbian internet forum, Krstarica [SRB], also showed several confused citizens who, lacking access to images of violence from Tripoli, accepted Gaddafi's statements as truth. In a discussion thread titled “Libya is peaceful, world media are spreading lies,” Yamamoto writes: People who stayed there, as well as those who arrived by “rescue” planes, testify that they do not understand what images we are seeing. All of them deny the intensity of the events in Libya. Bernard O observes: Pink's TV records confirm that some buildings are intact, although, according to CNN, they were destroyed in the criminal bombing of Gaddafi's army. Jevropa sadly notes: This is a splendid country. Now, the world's scum will come to destroy all this man has created and to make the people poor despite [the country's] wealth. Pedjica tries to be realistic: I am not sure how the rest of the country lives. I saw Tripoli on Pink. I saw cars no older than [the year] 2000, the buildings are relatively new, and it is a beautiful city. As far as I could see. The truth is probably somewhere in between! To remind fellow netizens of how good life in Libya supposedly is, Caliburn posts an excerpt from a recent Serbian newspaper story, which is titled “Libyans Live Like Gods” and is based on a testimony of Dragan Gordic, a Serb who has lived in Libya for years: I do not believe that the riots broke out because of dissatisfaction. They have no reason to be dissatisfied because they live like gods… They do not work much, and they come to the office around 9 A.M. and already at noon they go home to pray, and that happens five times during the day… They have free medical treatment, education, electricity, and all food products are 30-40 percent cheaper than at home. Everyone who wants to study abroad just needs to write a request and they receive a scholarship from the authorities. About 5 million people have registered 15 million cars. In general, these are expensive and good cars, and they have easy access to them because for a 50,000-euro car you pay 3,000 or 4,000 euro, and the rest is subsidized by the state. Reactions on Burek.com [SRB] also confirm that President Gaddafi and TV Pink have convinced many Serbian people that Libyans have no reason to revolt.