Serb protesters blockade roads and clash with police in Kosovo

SERB protesters in northern Kosovo set up barricades on main roads for a second day yesterday following a night time exchange of fire with police after the arrest of a former Serb policeman amid a surge in tensions between the Serb minority and the authorities.

In recent weeks Serbs in northern Kosovo have responded with violent resistance to moves by Pristina that they see as anti-serb.

EULEX, the European Union mission tasked with patrolling the north of Kosovo, said one of the armoured vehicle patrols also came under attack from protesters on Saturday evening.

EULEX said in a statement: “A stun grenade was thrown at an EULEX reconnaissance patrol last night near Rudare.” It said no one was injured.

The latest protests were triggered by the arrest of a former police officer on Saturday, who was part of an exodus of Serbs from the force last month after Pristina said it would enforce a law requiring Serbs to scrap old license plates dating to before the 1998 to 1999 guerrilla uprising that led to independence.

Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles yesterday blocked several main roads in northern Kosovo that lead to two border crossings with Serbia. Both crossings were closed for traffic.

Kosovo police said they came under fire on Saturday in different locations close to a lake bordering Serbia. The force said it had to return fire in selfdefence and there was no immediate reports of injuries.

Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, said in a statement: “The barricades from masked criminals in the north must be removed immediately.”