Gracanica municipality requests KFOR protection for Serb population

GRACANICA - The Gracanica municipality in central Kosovo-Metohija requested that international security forces in the province - above all, KFOR - protect its Serb population after dozens of ethnic Albanians in cars with symbols of the so-called "Kosovo Liberation Army" and Albania blocked the streets of Gracanica on Thursday night, hurled insults at residents and attempted to take off the Serbian flag from a monument.

In a statement, the municipal authorities said residents feared for the safety of their families and that such orchestrated attacks on Serbian municipalities and their population were not sporadic incidents or isolated cases, but organised and well thought-out actions aimed at provoking violence and striking fear among Serbs in Gracanica.

Several cars carrying Serb families with underage children were trapped in the column of vehicles with "KLA" and Albanian symbols and it was only thanks to the families' composure that they managed to get out the column and reach a police station to seek protection, the statement said.

"Unfortunately, due to a small number of on-duty officers, there was no police protection there until the arrival of police reinforcements from Pristina," the statement added.

This shows that the Serb population is unprotected and facing increasing insecurity, which is fertile ground for unforeseeable consequences, it said, noting that Quint states must demonstrate that they advocated peace and stability across the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, as well as condemn violence and do everything in their power to stop such attacks and prevent them for happening again.

It said the so-called Kosovo Police had once again demonstrated it was unable to ensure peace in the streets of Gracanica.

"That is why we also call on KFOR to protect our families, above all, our children, who, like many times in the past, were exposed to fears and traumas yesterday," the statement notes.

Columns of cars with "KLA" and Albanian symbols were seen driving around Gracanica throughout the day on Thursday and the incidents culminated in the evening hours, when the centre of the municipality around the Gracanica monastery was blocked by vehicles whose passengers provoked residents by firing guns and shouting "KLA!" as the drivers sounded their car horns.

With their faces hidden by balaclavas, some of the men came out of the vehicles and tried to remove the Serbian flag from a monument to Milos Obilic.