Krasniqi: Messages in public spaces in northern Kosovo removed because they incite intolerance between communities

Acting Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, stated that messages calling for the violation of Kosovo’s legal and constitutional order were removed as part of efforts to regulate public spaces.

In a Facebook post, Krasniqi wrote that slogans such as “When the army returns” as well as images of Ratko Mladic were taken down.

“As part of regulating public spaces in our municipalities, in recent days public areas have also been cleaned in the northern municipalities of the country. Public spaces belong to everyone, and everyone should be able to find their place there. Some of the clean-up measures carried out relate to messages that call for the violation of the legal and constitutional order of our Republic, such as the slogan ‘When the army returns’, as well as figures like Ratko Mladic, who has already been convicted of genocide in the wars in the Western Balkans,” he stated.

In his post, he emphasized that Kosovo is a democratic country with a clear Western orientation and, as such, will not allow messages that encourage division and intolerance between communities.