Serb policemen quit jobs in anti-Kosovo protest

Two Kosovo Serb border police officers resigned on Sunday (6 November) over the decision of Pristina to use Kosovo vehicle license plates in place of ones issued by Serbia.

Serbian media reported that 300 resignations were made in Mitrovica's northern town. They are part of a larger movement by Serbs to leave state institutions such as courts, police and parliament.

Many thousand of Serbs protested against the mandatory Kosovo license plates in North Mitrovica at noon. They waved Serbian flags, and the Serbian national song was performed.

The long-running row over license plates has created tensions between Serbian and Kosovo's former province. Kosovo gained independence in 2008 and is now home to a Serb minority that is supported by Belgrade.

The Kosovo police stated in a statement that it knew that some Serb police officers had left their posts, and that some of them have given over equipment.

Albin Kurti, prime minister of Kosovo, blamed Belgrade because it sought to destabilize Kosovo through its support for the Serbs' boycott of state institutions.

He said: "I once more invite all Serb citizens to our country not to abandon institutions, to not resign, to leave their jobs because there would be less service to the people."

The government of Kosovo has stated that it will begin issuing fines to Serb drivers who use pre-independence plates. It will also confiscate vehicles whose registration numbers have not been changed by 21 April, 2023.

"The current dispute cannot be solved by the withdrawal of Kosovo Serbs and their institutions. It could further escalate tensions on ground," Josep Borrell, EU's chief of foreign policy, said on Saturday (5 November).

One-fifth of the 50,000 Serbs living in the Serb majority north consider Serbia their home and use Serbian license plates. Another 50,000 Serbs, who live in areas of Kosovo majority populated with Albanians, have been using Kosovo license plates.

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