Rapajic: Unusual for the Carabinieri to withdraw from the Ibar Bridge when the security situation is not particularly good

Aleksandar Rapajic, Program Director of the NGO Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture from North Mitrovica, told Kosovo Online that KFOR's withdrawal from one of the most important locations in the city is highly problematic for Serbs, adding that it is rather unusual for the Carabinieri to withdraw from the Ibar Bridge at a time when, according to him, the security situation is not particularly good.

"The fact that the Kosovo Police are now taking over responsibility for security on the bridge at a time when Serbs are not involved in the work of the police and when trust among Serbian citizens in the police is particularly low is highly unusual and sends a negative signal to the Serbian community," he said.

Speaking about the opening of the bridge, he stressed that it was primarily a symbolic act.

"The bridge has been open for a long time and has long been used by pedestrians and cyclists. We can see that traffic between the south and the north is now functioning quite dynamically as well, so apart from its symbolic significance, I do not see this causing any major problems. However, the fact that KFOR is moving away from one of the most important locations in the city for Serbs is highly problematic," he noted.

Rapajic pointed out that the Serbian population has greater trust in KFOR than in the Kosovo Police.

"I do not think security on the bridge itself is such a major problem. It is not particularly difficult to maintain security there because there is already another bridge nearby that vehicles cross without any problems. This has more symbolic significance. The Serbian population currently has greater trust in KFOR than in the Kosovo Police, so from that perspective, KFOR's withdrawal from one of the city's main symbolic locations is problematic," he said.

Regarding the possibility of the Kosovo Police also taking over responsibility for security at the Visoki Decani Monastery, Rapajic said that this would represent an even greater problem than KFOR's withdrawal from the bridge.

"The security of Decani and the fact that KFOR protected Decani were extremely important for this most important monastery of the Kosovo Serbs. We have seen how the Kosovo Police behave toward pilgrims. We saw it at Gazimestan, and we saw it recently in Prizren. I am afraid that if the Kosovo Police take over responsibility for security at Decani, they will continue behaving in the same way when pilgrims visit Decani. That will create a major problem for many people who come to visit the monastery," Rapajic said.

He added that in previous cases police officers had searched and harassed people.

"During visits to Gazimestan, we saw people being searched and harassed. During the celebration in Prizren, we saw lines of police officers searching everyone, even children and women. What are we going to do if the same practice is introduced outside Decani, if everyone is searched when entering, if certain people are not allowed into the monastery, if symbols and T-shirts are prohibited? What are we going to do then?" Rapajic asked.

He added that the Kosovo Police had not proved to be an adequate partner when it came to pilgrimages and that he did not believe they had a positive attitude toward pilgrimage visits.