Protesters and police clash in Kosovo’s capital Pristina
Clashes break out between police in Kosovo and protesters calling for the removal of a Serb minister accused of insulting Albanian war victims.
Police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse around 2,000 protesters, who had gathered in Kosovo’s capital Pristina on Tuesday.
According to police, 120 demonstrators were arrested, while 56 police suffered injuries, Reuters reported.
The protest, organized by opposition parties, turned violent after demonstrators tried to break into the central government building and started to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police.
Offensive remarks
The demonstrators were demanding the dismissal of Aleksandar Jablanovic, an ethnic Serb minister in the Kosovo government.
Jablanovic sparked outrage earlier this month when he referred to a group of Albanians as "savages" after they attempted to block Serb pilgrims from visiting a monastery in mainly Albanian Kosovo on the grounds that some of the pilgrims were "war criminals".
Kosovo, which has a Serbian minority of about 120,000, has had demarcation disputes with Albania, Macedonia, and Serbia due to challenges among ethnic municipalities.
Trepca mining complex
Opposition parties were also calling on the government to take control of the Trepca mining complex that has been under the control of a privatization body, created by the United Nations, since the end of the Serbian war in 1999.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Isa Mustafa had promised to take charge of the mine but backed down after facing a furious response from Serbia, which claims 75 percent ownership of the mine.
Prime minster accuses
Mustafa has accused his opponents of staging the protests in an attempt to forcefully seize power.
"All these political parties have accepted the election results," he said. "They must respect the vote of the citizens and not attempt to take power through violence."
Larger protest
The protests came on the heels of an even larger protest on Saturday, which also turned violent.
The protesters were calling for Jablanovic to step down within 48 hours, but the demand was rejected by the government.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has so far received international recognition from about 100 countries. However, Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence.
SRK/MHB/AS
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