BELGRADE -- The leader of a far-right political party in Serbia has been arrested by police in Belgrade after a rally he organized of nationalists turned violent on February 15.
Damjan Knezevic, the head of Narodna Patrola, or People’s Patrol, was detained by police on February 16 along with two other unidentified members of the far-right group. They were charged with inciting violence and weapons violations.
SEE ALSO: Riot Police Prevent Right-Wing Demonstrators From Entering Presidency In BelgradeThe arrests come a day after hundreds of Serbian nationalists rallied in Belgrade, demanding that President Aleksandar Vucic reject a Western plan to normalize ties with Kosovo and pull out of negotiations.
Shouting “Treason!” and carrying banners reading “No surrender,” the right-wing protesters blocked traffic as they gathered near the Serbian presidency building in central Belgrade.
Some of the estimated 1,000 protesters tore down protective metal fencing around the building at the end of the rally but were prevented by riot police from reaching the entrance.
The protest came amid efforts by U.S. and European Union officials to mediate a solution for the long-standing dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognize.
WATCH: Police in Belgrade blocked right-wing protesters who attempted to storm the country's presidency building following a rally to mark Serbian Statehood Day.
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Right-Wing Protesters Attempt To Storm Serbian Presidency In Belgrade
The crowd shouted "Serbia! Russia!" and symbols of the Russian mercenary group Wagner and the letter Z for the Russian military were visible in the crowd. Some protesters shouted offensive messages about Vucic.
Vucic held a meeting with the security services following the protest and said Serbia would not allow "thugs and extremists with any help from the outside -- the West or the East -- to threaten the constitutional order."
People's Patrol is known for its anti-immigrant actions and events in support of Russia in Belgrade since the Kremlin launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.
Knezevic in November visited the Wagner Center in Russia, and the organization is behind the drawing of a mural in Belgrade in honor of Wagner.
Despite its status as a candidate for EU membership, Serbia refuses to impose sanctions on Russia and maintains good bilateral relations with Moscow.
U.S. and EU envoys have been pressing Belgrade and Pristina to approve a plan on normalizing relations presented last year under which Belgrade would stop lobbying against Kosovo having a seat in international organizations, including the United Nations.
One of the sticking points in the talks on normalizing relations has been the creation of an association of municipalities in Kosovo with a Serbian majority.
The European Union has expressed its readiness to help Kosovo and Serbia in the talks on forming the association.
EU spokesperson Peter Stano said the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is the only platform where ideas and proposals about the association can be discussed.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier in a statement congratulating Serbia as it marked its Statehood Day that Kosovar and Serbian leaders will have to make "difficult compromises" to resolve outstanding issues and normalize their relations.
"I am confident that normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will bring security and prosperity for Serbia and all citizens of the Western Balkans," Blinken said in the statement.
"Certainly, Serbian and Kosovar leaders will make difficult compromises to achieve these goals, but the rewards for the Serbian people -- and the entire region -- will be vast," Blinken said.