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Kosovo Nationalists Promise Peaceful Anti-UN Rally
01 March 2007 Police and Vetevendosje protesters hold
talks to avoid rerun of February 10 clashes.
By Krenar Gashi in Pristina (Balkan
Insight, 1 Mar 07)
Kosovo’s nationalist Vetevendosje
movement has claimed its new protest against the UN proposal for Kosovo,
planned for Pristina on March 3, will be larger than any of its predecessors.
“The number of people
joining the upcoming protest will be much higher [than before],” predicted
Glauk Konjufca, an activist with Vetevendosje, which means self-determination.
Organisers insist this protest will also
be more peaceful than the rally held on February 10, which turned violent and
ended in two deaths.
The Kosovo Police Service, KPS, met
Vetevendosje activists for talks on February 23, just after the new protest was
announced.
The territory’s television station showed
clips of the meeting, with Vetevendosje activists sitting around a small table
with KPS representatives.
The meeting was seen as a helpful gesture
of both sides, which may ensure violence is avoided in future.
“For the first time they are feeling each
other’s breath and smells, which is good,” said a young Albanian watching the
images in a Pristina café.
“Now they won’t throw stones at the police
and the police won’t shoot them with rubber bullets,” another young man added.
The police said they are committed to
making sure the next protest ends calmly.
“They informed us about the route of
their march, the approximate timeline and assured us that the protest is going
to be peaceful,” said Veton Elshani, the KPS spokesperson, referring to the
activists.
The public, meanwhile, seems to have
mixed feelings about the protest. While Vetevendosje claims
its membership is growing, there are signs that many are in no mood for another
demonstration.
“I joined Vetevendosje’s protest although I don’t
support them. I protested against the unbearable social situation in Kosovo,”
said a teenager from Pristina, who’s yet to decide if he’s going to protest on
March 3.
Ylli, another young Albanian, told Balkan Insight
that he just hoped the demonstration is over quickly. “I don’t like the idea of
having to stay away from my favourite café on Saturday just because somebody is
protesting in the streets,” he said.
Albin Kurti, Vetevendosje’s leader,
remains in custody following his arrest immediately after the February 10
rally, leaving Glauk Konjufca and others in day-to-day charge of the movement.
“If Vetevendosje’s plans are properly
implemented in the protest, nobody will get hurt,” Konjufca told Balkan
Insight.
The February 10 protest left two men dead
and more than 80 injured.
The casualties occurred when UN police
used rubber bullets and tear gas on protesters trying to break through police
lines and march on government buildings.
A Balkan Insight investigation has
uncovered evidence that shows Romanian UN police in Kosovo might have used
excessive force to break up the protest. http://www.birn.eu.com/en/72/10/2366/
The police say they had to act firmly to
stop the protesters from attacking government property and parliament.
Vetevendosje strongly opposes the
presence of the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. It also opposes the UN-mediated
negotiations in Vienna
on Kosovo’s final status.
Vetevendosje has previously chosen to
announce its protests and activities to the media rather than request an
official permit from the police, as the law requires.
They claim they do not recognise the
police as they are the agents of an undemocratic UN regime.
The police and government now realise
they underestimated Vetevendosje’s potential to cause trouble.
Meanwhile, members of the international community
residing in Kosovo are on their guard after a bomb destroyed a UN vehicle in
Pristina on February 19, and some have expressed concern about the upcoming
protest. “I’ll probably stay at home on Saturday,” said one young woman.
Local newspapers have suggested that UNMIK’s decision
to close its offices on March 2 is linked to worries about the following day’s
rally. But UNMIK’s spokesperson Neraj Singh said there was no connection
between the two.
Analysts in Kosovo believe that if all
goes well, the next rally could have a positive impact on the political climate
in the territory.
Ilir Dugolli, an analyst from Pristina,
said both Vetevendosje and the police had learned from their mistakes. “The
police have realised they can’t fire rubber bullets into people’s back and
Vetevendosje realised they can’t break through the police lines,” said Dugolli.
Halil Matoshi, another political
observer, thinks that the government needs to make a few extra concessions to
calm matters. “The best thing that the government could do is to set Albin
Kurti free,” he maintained.
The public, meanwhile, remains strongly
divided - many view Vetevendosje as a nuisance.
Kushtrim, a student from Pristina,
accused the movement of “going against the UN, and thus against the entire
world”.
“As far as the March 3 protest is
concerned, I would still put extra police forces in the streets because
Vetevendosje are not to be trusted,” he added.
Veton Elshani, of the KPS, warned that if
Vetevendosje break their word and try to enter government buildings, officers
will be ready for them. “We have a flexible plan, depending on protesters’
moves,” he declared.
However, Kujtim Salihu, an international relations
student, believes that nothing untoward will happen on March 3.“Protesters will
march in the streets, make their views heard and then go back home and watch
football,” he said.
Krenar Gashi is BIRN’s Kosovo Editor.
Balkan Insight is BIRN’s online publication.
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Comments:
Nationalist
Posted: 2010-07-19 18:12:05,
What a load of rubbish citing that Levizja Vetvendosje is a nationalist movement. Complete rubbish.