Serb NGOs Condemn Police Conduct During Graduation Celebration

A traditional high school graduation celebration in North Mitrovica ended in controversy today, following a police intervention that five local NGOs have denounced as an ethnically biased response involving excessive force.

The incident occurred as students from the Serb community marked the end of their secondary education by parading through the city center with brass band music, a long-standing local tradition. The festive atmosphere turned tense when a video surfaced showing a confrontation at the lower end of the city promenade.

The video, which quickly spread across social media platforms, shows the students passing a café owned by an ethnic Albanian, when a guest made a provocative gesture—raising his hands in the shape of a double-headed eagle, a symbol often associated with Albanian nationalism. Students claim they responded by showing their middle fingers but insisted they did not initiate the exchange.

In the video, a young police officer is then seen grabbing one of the students by the neck. The officer reportedly accused the student, in Albanian, of provoking the incident. A brief physical altercation between the student and several officers ensued.

In statements to KoSSev, the students involved testified that the altercation stemmed from provocations by guests at the café, including the display of vulgar and nationalist symbols.

However, Veton Elshani, Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North Region, offered a different account. He stated that the students were the ones provoking café guests and that officers merely asked them to stop. Elshani claimed police acted appropriately to de-escalate the situation and did not exceed their authority. He argued there is no basis to open a case.

NGOs: Statements by the Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police Are Concerning

This interpretation was firmly rejected by five NGOs from northern Kosovo, which issued a joint statement expressing “serious concern” over what they described as a “physical assault” on a graduating student.

“Two key issues emerge in this case: the selective reaction of the police, which targeted only the student from the Kosovo Serb community, and the excessive use of force, which is unacceptable—especially in the context of a public celebration,” the NGOs stated.

They were particularly alarmed by Elshani’s remarks, suggesting they reflect a deeper institutional problem.

“What is particularly troubling is that the deputy commander of the Kosovo Police does not view such conduct as an abuse of authority, further confirming the findings of a previously published report on the ethnization of the Kosovo Police.”

The organizations—Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA), New Social Initiative (NSI), Institute for Territorial Economic Development (InTER), NGO Aktiv, and the Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture (ACDC)—put forward four key demands:

1. The immediate initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the officer in question for excessive use of force, as well as his suspension pending the outcome of the investigation;

2. Mandatory training in professional conduct, human rights, and work in multiethnic environments as a prerequisite for returning to duty;

3. That, in the spirit of a professional and accountable police service—as expected in a democratic society—this incident be grounds for a prompt public apology to the student’s family and the community;

4. And urgent discussions on the reintegration and implementation of police-related agreements, which would ensure proportional ethnic representation in the police force in North Kosovo.

“We call on the Kosovo Police, as well as the relevant independent bodies and international missions, to take all necessary measures to ensure impartiality, proportionality, and professionalism in police conduct, especially in multiethnic environments such as North Mitrovica,” they concluded.

Why Did a Police Officer Grab a Graduate by the Neck in North Mitrovica?