Subaric: Albanian flag display in Gracanica – a provocation aimed at triggering incidents

Provocations by Albanians driving through Gracanica with Albanian flags continued late into the evening. Gracanica Mayor Ljiljana Subaric believes the event was deliberately planned to provoke a reaction from the Serbian community and create conflict.

"I am deeply disturbed, as are all our citizens. I condemn this event. We all witnessed how the convoy of Albanians first stopped across from the monastery, where they provoked our young men, sending various messages. They then stopped near the Cultural Center before returning to the monument, where they tried to remove the flag. People are upset. I believe this was a planned and organized event aimed at demonstrating force and provoking the Serbian community to cause an incident," Subaric said outside the Police Station in Gracanica.

She urged the relevant institutions to take action to prevent such occurrences in the future.

"Everyone has the right to a normal and peaceful life. If this is the democracy and freedom Kurti offers us, we do not need it. We tried to get information from the police, but the details were scarce. A few individuals were detained, but they were released after just a few minutes. We have no information on what will happen next. We have asked for reinforcements and for a stronger police presence on the streets. However, most responsible authorities are on holiday due to the non-working day," Subaric emphasized.

The President of the Municipal Assembly of Gracanica, and an eyewitness, Milan Dimitrijevic, described the situation as chaotic, caused by a convoy of about 20 vehicles.

"Around 8:45 PM, a convoy of about 20 vehicles blocked traffic, creating chaos in front of the monastery and the monument to Milos Obilic. They provoked the residents, tried to enter a café, but two police officers prevented them. All the vehicles carried flags of the KLA and Albania. I was with my family, and they stopped in front of us. I immediately went to the Police Station to report it to the duty officers, two police officers. No one reacted. Later, they came back in even greater numbers; some wore masks and passed through on quad bikes," Dimitrijevic recounted.

He criticized the lack of adequate police presence, particularly on a day of heightened provocations.

"It's unacceptable that on a day when Albanians are provoking all day, there are only two police officers at the Gracanica Police Station and two in the field. This is a disgrace. This was a well-planned provocation aimed at eliciting a reaction from the Serbian population so they could be blamed for an incident," Dimitrijevic added.

The incidents in Gracanica continued late into the night. Cars displaying Albanian flags and playing Albanian music passed through the area, with provocative behavior reported.

A resident of Gracanica shared his distress over the events.

"I feel terrible. I went to pick up my son, who works until 11 PM, because he didn’t dare to walk home alone, even though it’s just 300 meters away. It’s humiliating to be subjected to these kinds of taunts," he said.