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Running battles in the streets of Kosovo

Anti-government protests turn violent in Pristina just one month after a new coalition administration takes office.

Protesters of all ages gathered in front of the National Library to demand the Kosovo government to remove the Serb politician and for Kosovo not to give up control of the Trepca mine, one of the world's largest reserves for lead, zinc, and silver and once employed more than 20,000 people and contributed to the majority of the former Yugoslavia’s mineral wealth.
By Valerie Plesch
Published On 29 Jan 2015

Pristina, Kosovo – Large anti-government protests organised by ethnic Albanian opposition parties erupted in Kosovo’s capital Pristina this week, more than a month after parliamentarians there approved a new coalition government.

The protests were the largest since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Many Kosovars are dissatisfied with the new government, which has just ended a six-month political stalemate that followed the parliamentary elections of last June.

In the wake of a Serb politician’s denial of war crimes against ethnic Albanians during the 1998-1999 war, ethnic tensions flared again in Europe’s youngest nation.

The protesters also called for the government to reclaim the Trepca mine, which in the last week reignited a politically-explosive issue in Kosovo and neighbouring Serbia.

Both countries claim the mine, which spreads out between Kosovo’s Serbian-dominated and ethnic Albanian-dominated areas. Hundreds of miners at Trepca – working 750 meters below ground – refused to resurface for three days to protest the Kosovo government backtracking on a promise not to give up control of the mine to Serbia.

The protests this week took a violent turn when demonstrators threw stones at government buildings in the city centre and riot police officers were deployed with tear gas to stop the violence.

The opposition party gave the Kosovo government a deadline – January 26 – to remove the Serb politician. The government refused and the protests continued on Tuesday, with more planned in the coming days.

Nearly 5,600 NATO troops from 30 nations, including the US, remain in Kosovo to maintain peace and stability in a country pushing for European Union membership.

A young ethnic Albanian boy at a protest to show solidarity for the Trepca mine in northern Kosovo.
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The protest started peacefully in front of the government building until riot police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters from approaching the government building. Around 2,000 protesters joined demonstrations organized by political opposition parties.
A woman confronts Kosovo riot police in front of the government building.
A protester takes part in clashes with police on Mother Teresa Boulevard in the center of the city.
Riot police line up along Mother Teresa Boulevard.
A man recovers on the steps of the National Theater after being sprayed in the face with pepper spray.
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Protesters carry an injured man to safety. Almost 80 people were injured in the protest.
A thick cloud of smoke from tear gas cloaks Mother Teresa Boulevard in the center of the city.
Clashes between protesters and the police continued throughout the city. Riot police officers fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Protesters and riot police clash in front of the Mother Teresa Cathedral, one of Pristina’s most famous landmarks.
As night fell after a day of violent clashes between protesters and police, a sign that read 'Kosovo with Trepca' still hung on a gate in front of the University of Pristina.