The first-ever edition of the “Mitrovica International Jazz Days” to be held in North Mitrovica ended early on Thursday amid strong public discontent and two arrests.
Throughout the afternoon, dozens of local Serbs gathered in nearby cafés and along the promenade whistled at performers, seeing the event as a political provocation. The jeering intensified when North Mitrovica Mayor Erden Atiq appeared in front of the stage, joined by a small group of attendees. Shouts of “Atiq, go away,” “Atiq, Serb,” and various insults were heard, but the mayor did not respond.
The festival, normally held in South Mitrovica, featured live performances on a stage set up along the northern promenade under heavy police security, including special units and plainclothes officers.
The event ended with the arrest of two young men of Serbian ethnicity. Kosovo Police Deputy Commander for the North region, Veton Elshani, told KoSSev that one of them – D.M., born in 1992 – was released after being fined for verbal assault, while the other – B.D., born in 2001 – remains in custody for up to 48 hours on suspicion of making threats. According to Elshani, there is allegedly a recording of the threat.
By Thursday evening, the situation in the city was calm. Elshani could not confirm whether the three-day festival would continue on Friday, saying it depends on the organizers but that police would be obliged to ensure public order should it proceed.
Representatives of the Srpska Lista party and officials from several local institutions were also spotted at the scene.
For years, North Mitrovica has hosted its own jazz festival, continuing the pre-war tradition of the city of Kosovska Mitrovica. That event has brought together acclaimed names from both the domestic and international jazz scene.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
