Kosovo Albanians in Austria gathered in a peaceful protest in support of Kosovo, in face of the tensions it is experiencing with Serbia.
Citizens in Vienna demanded the de-escalation of the situation as well as stopping support for autocrats.
“Stand with Kosovo”, “Wake up EU”, “We don’t need another war”, “Appeasement failed”, “Democracy provokes? Yes, autocrats!” were some of the slogans used during the peaceful gathering on Sunday in the Austrian capital.
Today in Vienna – Place of Human Rights – a loud voice for Democracy und Peace and Support for #Kosovo. STOP appeasement and STOP support for autocrats.
Thank you all. You were great.#StandWithKosovo #StandWithKosova pic.twitter.com/7L8PKiDOqL
— Kati Schneeberger 🇪🇺 (@KatiSchneeberg1) June 18, 2023
Tensions in Kosovo began on May 26, when new Albanian mayors of municipalities in the north entered municipal buildings assisted by the Kosovo Police, amid opposition from local Serbs.
Tensions reached a peak on May 29, when in Zvečan, Serbian protesters clashed with members of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR. Dozens of people from both sides were injured in the clashes.
Meanwhile, on June 14, tensions worsened after the arrest of three Kosovo police officers. Serbia claimed that they were arrested “deep” within its territory, but Kosovo stated that they were patrolling in the territory of Kosovo, near the border with Serbia in Leposavić.
