Priest Jerinic: This is not the first time Albanian flags have been put up here; this is an attack on a religious site

Priest Dragisa Jerinic told Kosovo Online that he was traveling when, shortly before 9 p.m. this evening, his wife called and informed him that some Albanians were putting up flags on the fence surrounding the Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Church of Saints Florus and Laurus in Lipljan.

He said that he arrived about 20 minutes later and found two Albanians putting up flags, as well as Kosovo Police officers who, after being called by the church caretaker, had arrived at the scene very quickly.

"The police arrived immediately and found two adult Albanian men putting flags on the church fence. They had also started filming themselves and posting the footage online to boast about what they were doing. In the meantime, while we were speaking with the police, an Albanian police officer told us that they were angry because a Serb serving in the Kosovo Police had issued them a traffic ticket yesterday and that, out of anger over that, they had come to put flags on our fence," Father Jerinic said.

He stressed that this could not serve as justification and emphasized that what happened this evening constituted an attack on a religious site and on their privacy.

"We are not concerned with the fact that the police fined him. He could have gone and settled the matter with them, but under no circumstances should he have directed his anger at the church. Recently, we have noticed that many people passing by during celebrations with Albanian flags displayed keep looking at and making it clear that they are bothered by the Serbian Orthodox Church flag that remains on the bell tower throughout the year. We also know this from previous experience because this is not the first time our flag has been taken down, while this is the second time Albanians have put Albanian flags—not Kosovo flags—on our church fence," Jerinic said.

He added that minors had been responsible in the previous incident, whereas this time the individuals involved were two adult men.

Jerinic announced that he would go to the police station to obtain the report and file a complaint, since the perpetrators had been caught at the scene.

"Let them answer before a court of justice," Father Jerinic said.

Church caretaker Jovica Miric told Kosovo Online that the priest's wife had called him and informed him that, as he put it, "some young men were putting flags on the fence around the churchyard."

"I called the police, went to the scene, and saw that they had put up two KLA flags and one Albanian flag. In the meantime, a police patrol arrived and detained the two young men who had been putting up the flags," Miric said.

He added that one of the two detained men had been putting up the flags, while the other was taking the flags out of the car and filming him as he put them up.

He said they were Albanians from Mirena, a village near Lipljan, and estimated that they were around 25 years old.