Serbs in Kosvska Mitrovica protested Wednesday against the opening of the main bridge on the Ibar River and unanimously declared, through loud agreement, that the bridge should not be opened.
The message from the residents of the Serb-dominated northern Mitrovica was clear: they oppose the opening of the bridge, reported KoSSev.
The crowd was first addressed by the former president of the Mitrovica Court, Nikola Kabasic. The protesters supported his proposal that decisions made by the local government, which he referred to as the “imposed administration of Mitrovica,” should be overturned in the same way in the future.
“Whenever they make decisions that harm and contradict the will of the people here, we will gather at this spot and unanimously declare that we do not agree with those decisions,” he said.
Other speakers included the editor of the Jedinstvo daily, the vice president of the Pensioners’ Association of Kosovo and Metohija, and the director of the Serbia Post Offices Kosovo branch and former Kosovo minister for regional development.
Representatives from the three main Serbian political parties in the north also attended.
The protest featured banners with messages such as: “If (Kosovo Prime Minister Albin) Kurti opens the bridge, KFOR and Quint will be responsible for everything!”, „While the EU and the US issue statements, we are being expelled!”, and “We demand that KFOR protect us!”
The gathering was also supported by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
KoSSev reported that KFOR confirmed it received notice of upcoming technical inspections on the bridge and emphasized the broader international position that the issue of the bridge’s opening should be resolved through the Brussels dialogue.
The protest was registered with the police, who put together a special operational plan for the event. The protest was reported by a group of citizens, KoSSev was told by the police.
Before the protest began, there was no noticeable increase in the presence of the Kosovo Police. Kosovo Police Region North Deputy Commander Veton Elshani was also present and reiterated to Kossev what he earlier said: they do not expect any incidents during the protest.
