Serbs ask Kosovo police to protect their children

A group of parents from Orahovac started a petition requesting Kosovo police protect their children from frequent attacks from their Albanian neighbours.

This came after a Serbian boy was arrested for defending his brother.

As reported by RTV Kim, in a letter to the police and the representatives of the interim council of the municipality of Orahovac, the parents claim their children are subject of frequent verbal attacks that have now escalated to threats with brass knuckles.

RTV Kim reports that children of Serbian ethnicity in Orahovac have one playground that is used for both recreation and gym class which was built by UNMIK right after the end of the conflict. Recently however, it is claimed that about one hundred parents that have signed the petition, the children of Serbian ethnicity have been using this playground less frequently because they are being chased away by boys from other parts of the city.

"Wishing to prevent these incidents and wishing to preserve peace and stability in our city where children could play freely and grow up, we plead for an immediate reaction, hoping to avoid someone's wrong reaction that can lead to conflict and have more serious consequences," the petition states according to RTV Kim.

The petition was started after a young Serbian in his late teens, Nikola Matic was arrested for hitting and pushing away an Albanian boy who was threatening other Serbian children, including Matic's brother with brass knuckles.

Matic was released after a night in custody, reported TV Most, and is awaiting trial.