Belgrade - with a foot on the north and an open hand in Brussels
Belgrade - with a foot on the north and an open hand in Brussels

Author(s): Ylber Hysa, Amir Haziri, Gynen Venhari
Subject(s): Nationalism Studies, Inter-Ethnic Relations, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development, Ethnic Minorities Studies
Published by: Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava u Srbiji
Keywords: Belgrade; Kosovo; Brussels; Mitrovica; EULEX; EU mission
Summary/Abstract: This year’s Saint George, as often during such celebrations brought a loud celebration that started with verbal violence, then resulted with physical fight that lasted for hours in north Mitrovica and ended with use of guns. Such community violence is not strange for north Mitrovica in the last decade, which was distinguished in media with clashes and ethnic division. This year’s Saint George was Serb-Serb hostility; in fact it was settling accounts between two youth gangs from Mitrovica and Zvecan, who agreed on the fight arena on an electronic way through facebook. Such violence lasted for hours, where young Serbs after using of alcohol used punches and guns terrorizing their community. Kosovo Police in north, lacking special units and with limited number of staff who celebrated by previously requesting vacation, being unable to handle the situation, decided to call EULEX police for help. EU mission police, in the beginning with mobile patrol and afterwards with special backup came to the scene after approximately 40 minutes and requested an informative briefing and operative plan, which was missing. While such a debate continued, hooligans who initiated the fight, under influence of alcohol aimed an attack on Police Station that according to witnesses was protected by citizens. In the end, according to some media MUP members arrived at the scene, with guns on their waist, with three cars and got involved also to set peace. After a hard day, citizens of Mitrovica were not clear if everything was over, since late at night an explosion was heard, that seems to have been a vengeance towards the property of one group against the other in this fight.

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