Police find flyers in the north calling for "resistance"

2024-02-13 10:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Police find flyers in the north calling for "resistance"

Members of the Kosovo Police in North Mitrovica

The Kosovo police have started investigations after in North Mitrovica, still unknown persons have distributed various leaflets that make "calls for resistance" and "incitement to hatred". The main party of the Serbs in Kosovo has said that with such actions, they are trying to blame the Serbs "for possible new incidents".

In the regular 24-hour report, the Police said that leaflets were distributed at the entrances of buildings and on various streets.

The deputy police director for the northern region, Veton Elshani, told Radio Free Europe that it is suspected that these leaflets were distributed "yesterday during and after the protest".

"There are no suspects and no arrests," said Elshani.

The leaflets, which have been distributed on various Telegram channels, contain alleged instructions for resistance to the Kosovo police. Among other things, in these flyers, it is said that the Kosovo police should be shot with any means, police officers should be spat on and insulted. Then, break the police cars with some means and give instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails and the like.

Radio Free Europe has not been able to verify the authenticity of these flyers distributed on the Telegram social network.

Lista Serbe, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo that enjoys the support of official Belgrade, called on citizens in the north not to "fall prey to such provocations".

According to this party, whoever did these actions aimed to undermine the peace and deepen the instability "so that the Serbs are blamed for new possible incidents".

In North Mitrovica, on February 12, Serbs protested against the decision of the Kosovo authorities to ban the use of the Serbian dinar for payments.

The protesters demanded that a regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo, which entered into force on February 1, be canceled, which stipulates that only the euro is the currency for making payments.

A few hours after the protest, the CBK announced the extension of the transition phase for the implementation of this regulation, which cannot be longer than three months. Previously, this transition phase was said to last throughout February.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has said that the CBK's decision does not mean the banning of the dinar, nor the banning of the support that Serbia gives to the Serbs of Kosovo through the dinar.

The CBK regulation for cash operations has been criticized by the international factor, which has argued that the decision was taken without prior consultation.

Internationals have asked Kosovo to postpone the implementation of the regulation, saying that more time is needed for the Serbian community to adapt to the decision.

For years, the People's Bank of Serbia has sent the dinars to a safe in the municipality of Leposavic, in the north of Kosovo, and they were then transported by the international company Henderson.

The CBK has said that such a practice is illegal, as only it can export and import coins and banknotes within the territory of Kosovo.

Kosovo authorities require that Serbs in Kosovo open accounts in any of the licensed commercial banks.

The Serbian state can then start the funds in dinars, but they are automatically converted to euros along the way.

Otherwise, in the north of Kosovo, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, some graffiti appeared a few days ago with the message "When the army returns to Kosovo, the Northern Brigade will live".

The Northern Brigade, along with the Civil Defense, are organizations that the Government of Kosovo has declared terrorist organizations in 2023.

It is believed that these two organizations operate in the north of Kosovo and count hundreds of members from the ranks of the Serbian community./REL