A reported sticker incident in Bosniak Mahala, Northern Mitrovica, has drawn widespread media attention and heightened tensions in this multi-ethnic neighborhood. According to Albanian-language media, a sticker bearing the message „Don’t Be Afraid. Your City“—a slogan previously circulated by the Serbian Democracy Party—was allegedly placed on a memorial honoring the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), sparking outrage among some residents. The Serbian Democracy Party has since denied any involvement in the incident.
Kosovo police confirmed they were unaware of the sticker’s specific content, although sources suggest it was in Serbian.
Meanwhile, the Serbian Democracy Party, the group behind stickers bearing this message as part of a recent civic campaign, denies involvement in placing any on the monument.
The party, which has used similar stickers to protest local and national government policies, condemned any such act, should it have occurred.
The incident also coincided with vandalism on vehicles bearing Serbian license plates in the vicinity, where tires on two cars were slashed. This led Serbian residents from a nearby building to gather in protest, and according to eyewitnesses, an earlier group of young men of Albanian ethnicity had gathered nearby.
Media Coverage Fuels Speculation About Sticker and Vandalism Links
Veton Elshani, Deputy Commander of Kosovo Police in the North, stated to KoSSev that a group of around ten people expressed anger over the alleged sticker, although the group later dispersed without further incident.
Elshani clarified that the police had found no sticker by the time they arrived. While four individuals were detained in connection with the tire-slashing, police have not directly linked the two incidents.
Despite police claims of uncertainty around the stickers, some Albanian-language outlets and social media accounts reported that the sticker with the message “Don’t Be Afraid. Your City” was indeed placed on the KLA memorial.
Pictures circulated show only a white mark on the monument, but Donika Hajredini, son of the commemorated former KLA member, told Kallxo that Albanians had previously removed a sticker from the memorial.
Meanwhile, Klan Kosova drew a direct connection between the sticker and the tire-slashing, with the headline “Stickers Lead to Incident in Bosniak Mahala.” The station reported that “around 10 people became angry after the ‘sticker’ was placed on the memorial for a former KLA soldier, prompting them to slash tires on nearby cars.”
In response, former mayor of South Mitrovica Avni Zahiti condemned what he described as the “malicious placement of Serbian stickers” on the monument. He encouraged Kosovo police to conduct an investigation to “preserve peace and dignity in the area.”
Serbian Democracy Party Denies Involvement, Blames Potential Provocation
Serbian Democracy Party leader Aleksandar Arsenijević voiced his condemnation of placing stickers on any memorial, emphasizing his disapproval of actions that disrespect monuments of any group.
„I strongly oppose any act of disrespect towards any memorial,“ Arsenijević stated, adding that if anyone did place the sticker, it was not by his party’s initiative.
Arsenijević went further, suggesting that individuals associated with the Self-Determination Movement (Vetëvendosje), which he believes is interested in provoking tensions, might be responsible.
„Considering that Self-Determination has shown an interest in creating tensions, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone close to [Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atić’s] office placed a sticker there to undermine our protest movement,“ he said, referencing the whistle-blowing protests organized by his party.
Tensions Rise in Bosniak Mahala: Tires Slashed on Serbian Vehicles
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
