Kosovo police detain several people at Serb commemoration

Kosovo police detained several people during a Serb commemoration at the Gazimestan memorial near Pristina, an annual event that has often been marked by political tension.

The gathering marks Vidovdan, a Serbian religious and national holiday linked to the 1389 Battle of Kosovo.

Police warned participants that symbols or slogans promoting ethnic, religious or political hatred would not be tolerated.

Some people at the event chanted “Kosovo is Serbia” and sang Serbian nationalist songs.

Serb political party Srpska Lista said several members of the community were taken to police stations without being given written explanations for their detention.

Kosovo authorities had not commented by the time of publication.

The annual gathering has repeatedly been a source of tension between Kosovo and Serbia.