During preparations for the opening of the “Mitrovica International Jazz Days” festival on Friday, a group of Serb citizens staged a protest near the stage set up in the center of North Mitrovica, shouting and whistling.
The group, seated in a café with their backs turned to the stage, began hurling insults when the Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, arrived, according to videos published by the Serbian outlet Alternativna.
This year marks the third edition of the festival. The previous two editions were held in the City Park of South Mitrovica, while for the first time, one of the nights is being organized in the center of North Mitrovica. The festival will take place from August 8 to 10: the first night in the north, and the other two nights in the south, according to the Serbian media outlet Radio Mitrovica e Veriut.
Earlier, the Serb List had called on businesses in the center of North Mitrovica not to take part in the festival. They warned that they would address the international community.
“This is a form of pressure and an attempt to intimidate, with the aim of stifling the cultural life of the Serb community in Kosovo,” the party’s statement read.
