Serbs from northern Kosovo protested on August 7 against the opening of the main bridge in Mitrovica that divides the city into the Albanian-majority south and the Serb-majority north.
Protesters gathered near the bridge held up banners with messages including, "On the bridge we defended survival, now we defend extinction" and "While the EU and the U.S.A. are writing statements, they are expelling us."
Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti last week informed Western diplomats in Pristina of his plans to open the bridge to traffic, a move that was opposed by both NATO and Quint nations -- an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain.
"The bridge must be opened. It is in the service of all, and is against no one. Freedom of movement and the rule of law do not endanger peace and security -- on the contrary," said Kurti's cabinet after meeting with foreign diplomats in Kosovo.
During the protest, a former judge from North Mitrovica, Nikola Kabasic, said that the Serb community does not support the opening of the bridge. He also disputed claims by Kosovar authorities that it would foster peace and coexistence.
"We don't feel safe here," he said, adding that there has been freedom of movement even though the bridge was not previously open to traffic.
Kabasic said the bridge should be opened only when relations between the parties are normalized and dialogue can be agreed on in Brussels.
He asked for a consensus among all representatives of Serbs in Kosovo to identify and protect the fundamental interests of the Serb community.
"Misery is our collective problem. We are attacked as a people; we are under pressure to leave Kosovo," Kabasic said.
For years, Serb political parties in Kosovo were divided in their politics, and only the Serb List enjoyed the support of official Belgrade.
Members of the Serb community mentioned the efforts of Kurti’s government to establish authority in the north of Kosovo, as well as the presence of members of special units of the Kosovo police.
Kabasic emphasized that the protest was not against the ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo but against Kurti and his government.
SEE ALSO: Boosted Kosovo Border Patrols Roll Through Rough TerrainHe said members of the special units of the Kosovo police should withdraw from the north of Kosovo and that Serb representatives should lead the local government.
In the post-war period, the bridge over the Ibar River was a symbol of the riots and barricades erected by Kosovo Serbs to oppose Pristina's efforts to establish authority in the north.
The bridge is currently open solely for pedestrians, although in the framework of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia it has been agreed that it will also be opened to vehicles.
The Quint countries said in a statement that they oppose opening the bridge to traffic at this time.
The NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, has stated that any decision on the opening of the main bridge over the Ibar River must be made within the framework of EU-mediated talks between Kosovo and Serbia.
KFOR soldiers from Italy are currently stationed on the bridge, while members of the Kosovo police patrol nearby.
KFOR also said it would not hesitate to react to any risk to regional security and stability.
KFOR vehicles cross on the bridge over the Ibar River connecting South Mitrovica and North Mitrovica.
The EU repeated its stance that the issue of opening of the bridge in North Mitrovica should be resolved within the framework of official dialogue, citing a 2014 agreement.
Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement on the bridge in Brussels in 2014 and the EU funded its revitalization worth 1.5 million euros. The bridge was supposed to open in 2017.
Protests against the bridge opening took place two days after Kosovar authorities closed down nine branches of the Serbian post office in the north, after concluding that they had been operating illegally and with no license from the Kosovo authorities.
In the past two years, Kurti's government has worked intensively to establish power in the north of Kosovo, which has been met with resistance from the local population and sometimes even criticism from the international community.
Some of the decisions that have been implemented are the re-registration of vehicles from Serbian license plates to those of Kosovo, updating driver's licenses, discontinuing the use of the Serbian dinar, and the closure of certain institutions that work in the Serbian system.