Serbia orders to "stop" the "Mirëdita, dobar dan" festival

2024-06-27 16:14:28, Kosova & Bota CNA

Serbia orders to "stop" the "Mirëdita, dobar dan"

Protests in Belgrade against the holding of the "Mirëdita, dobar dan" festival. Source, RFE/RL

Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dacic, announced that the Ministry of the Interior has issued an order to ban the gathering at the "Mirëdita, dobar dan" festival.

"The Ministry of the Interior issued an order to stop the public gathering 'Mirëdita, dobar dan', because it may endanger the safety of people and property, but also risks disrupting public order and peace on a large scale", said Dacic, but also Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Dacic said that no gatherings will be allowed in this area.

"The organizers have been informed about this order", said Dacic.

The opening of the festival is scheduled to take place at 18:30 on June 27 in Dorqol Square, and a few hours before the opening, a large group of right-wingers gathered at the entrance of the area, waving Serbian flags.

According to the journalists of Radio Free Europe, this group of protesters were heard chanting "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia", they sang nationalist songs and insulted the citizens of Kosovo.

A small number of policemen were seen in Dorqol Square, where the festival is held and which is closed to traffic.

The Radio Free Europe journalist was not allowed to enter the space where the festival is expected to start tonight by the protesters who are standing at the entrance of this area.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, who are organizers of the festival, are expected to come out with an announcement very soon.

The opposition movement of Free Citizens (PSG) said that the request of the Ministry of Interior and Ivica Dacic to ban the festival "is a shameful order".

This movement said that the Government of Serbia is directly responsible for the insecurity of the participants, adding that the ministers and the mayor of Belgrade, Aleksandër Shapic, made "unacceptable statements through which the motives of the organizers were questioned and accused them of betraying the interests national in a bad neo-fascist form".

"Freedom of assembly is a constitutional right for all citizens of Serbia and by ordering the banning of the 'Mirëdita, dobar dan' festival, Ivica Dacic, as a representative of the SNS-SPS regime, shows that the state aligns itself with nationalities that are against regional reconciliation ", PSG said.

Since its establishment in 2014, the festival in Belgrade, which promotes cultural cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo, has been accompanied by protests from right-wing organizations and parties that have tried to stop the festival from taking place.

Some representatives of the Serbian authorities have called for the cancellation of the festival this year, which is scheduled to be held from June 27 to 29.

On June 26, Dacic declared that the festival presents a "security risk".

A few weeks before the opening of the festival, there were announcements about this event in the media and social networks, which were accompanied by hate speech.

"Mirëdita, dobar dan" is held once a year, alternately in Pristina and Belgrade, in order to bring the Serbian cultural scene closer to Kosovo and vice versa, to present the contemporary cultural and artistic scene of Kosovo to the public from Serbia.

The event is organized by non-governmental organizations - Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Civic Initiatives from Serbia and Integra from Kosovo./ REL