Kosovo’s Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, released a video on Friday showing anti-Kosovo slogans shouted during a high school graduation celebration in North Mitrovica. In the footage, several participants are heard chanting the nationalist slogan “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” — a phrase widely perceived as a chauvinist provocation.
Symbolism and Police Presence
Sveçla stated that, alongside the slogans, three-finger salutes — a Serbian nationalist gesture — were displayed. The Kosovo Police had been notified in advance of the student event and were present to ensure public order. According to police statements, the event concluded peacefully, despite isolated incidents.
In a separate video posted earlier by Serbian politician Aleksandar Arsenijević, a Kosovo police officer is seen intervening during the parade, urging a young participant to refrain from provocations. In the same footage, another individual is seen making the Albanian double-eagle sign, a symbol of ethnic Albanian identity.
Reactions from Belgrade and EULEX
Officials in Serbia and the north of Kosovo sharply criticized the police intervention, calling it excessive. The head of EULEX, the EU’s rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, echoed concerns over the use of force by the authorities.
Sveçla defended the actions of the Kosovo Police, saying they took all necessary measures to prevent escalation and ensure safety. He emphasized that while citizens are free to assemble and celebrate, nationalist provocations and symbols of aggression and genocide will not be tolerated.
Sveçla Blames Belgrade
In his public remarks, Sveçla attributed the provocations to the influence of Serbia’s pro-Russian regime, led by President Aleksandar Vučić, and accused Milan Radoičić, a fugitive linked to armed criminal activity, of seeking to destabilize Kosovo.
“Such acts are rooted in the autocratic and pro-Russian regime of Vučić,” Sveçla said. “I urge all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, not to fall into the trap of these provocations or allow themselves to be instrumentalized by Belgrade.”
