Clashes between police and Serbs in Northern Kosovo

Police fired tear gas during clashes with ethnic Serbs who protested demanding the withdrawal of law enforcement officers from northern Kosovo, as well as the appointment of new mayors.

Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority boycotted last month's elections in the north of the country, which allowed ethnic Albanians to take control of local municipalities despite a low voter turnout of less than 3.5 percent.

Last week, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti continued to appoint the mayors, defying calls from the European Union and the United States, which back the territory's independence from Serbia in 2008, AFP reported.

Early on Monday, a group of Serbs gathered in front of the municipality building in the northern town of Zvecan, which has a Serb majority, and tried to enter the building.

The police responded with tear gas and immediately pushed them back.

Kosovo police said "organized" demonstrators also fired tear gas in Zvecan after gathering outside three town halls in northern Kosovo, home to many ethnic Serbs loyal to Belgrade who reject Kosovo's independence.

???? New tensions in the North
???? Zvecan: Serbian protesters attempted to enter the municipality building. Kosovo police used pepper spray to repel the crowd
???? Leposavic: NATO/KFOR troops surrounded the municipality building to protect it from protestorspic.twitter.com/OTM6wBJlcU

— kos_data (@kos_data) May 29, 2023

The protesters used violence, threw tear gas canisters and tried to break through security cordons and force their way into the municipality building, Kosovo police said in a statement.

"Police were forced to use legal means, such as (pepper) spray, to stop the protesters and bring the...