Pop star Dua Lipa sparks controversy as she tweets map linked to hard-line Albanian nationalists
BRITISH pop star Dua Lipa has sparked controversy after tweeting a map linked to hard-line Albanian nationalists.
The One Kiss singer, 24, posted an image of a map showing Albania, Kosovo and neighbouring counties on a red flag with Albania’s eagle emblem.
Some users have accused Lipa of being a “fascist” and used the hashtag #CancelDuaLipa.
However, others jumped to her defence and US-based organisation Team Albanians said she was “debunking the dangerous far-right claims that Albanians are not indigenous people in the Balkans”.
In 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and became Europe’s youngest country.
Albanians claim they settled in Kosovo before the Serbs and argue it is a country of ethnic Albanians.
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Serbs say Kosovo is part of its territory and nationalists have previously used “Kosovo is part of Serbia” slogans.
Kosovo is now recognised by most European governments and the US, but not by Serbia and Russia.
Her controversial tweet came after a petition appeared online calling for Apple Maps to display Kosovo as an independent country.
It has now been signed by more than 130,000 people.