The moment a furious mass fight breaks out in the Kosovo parliament with parliamentarians throwing fists… during the debate on easing tensions in the country
- MP Mergim Lushtaku threw water at Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti
- It sparked a massive fight of deputies grabbing, shoving and punching each other.
This is the shocking moment a furious fight broke out in Kosovo’s parliament after an opposition lawmaker dumped water on the country’s prime minister.
In the video, Mergim Lushtaku of the Kosovo Democratic Party approaches Prime Minister Albin Kurti and throws water at him as he talks about measures to defuse tension with ethnic Serbs in the north of the country.
Dozens of MPs then rush to the lectern and a fight ensues, with lawmakers fighting, pushing and hitting each other.
It comes as opposition parties have criticized Kurti’s policies in northern Kosovo which they say have strained relations with Western allies.
In May, the Kosovar government placed Albanian mayors in municipal buildings in Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, sparking violent protests from the ethnic Serb majority, which historically has a tense relationship with Albanians.
In the video, Mergim Lushtaku of the Kosovo Democratic Party approaches Kurti and throws water at him (pictured)
Dozens of people were injured in clashes between local Serbs and Kosovo police and NATO-led peacekeeping forces, fueling fears of a conflict similar to the 1998-1999 one that killed more than 10,000 people. .
On Wednesday, Kurti announced that he would reduce the number of special police officers stationed in front of four municipal buildings in the ethnic Serb-majority areas of northern Kosovo, and would hold new mayoral elections in each of the cities.
But the move angered the opposition, which argued that Kurti ‘experimented’ for months and endangered Kosovo’s international standing.
Earlier, Kurti’s deputy, Besnik Beslimi, had torn up a drawing mocking Kurti that the opposition had given to the prime minister. Kurti was escorted out of the assembly hall during the chaos, according to local media.
The US and EU had urged him to keep mayors in different locations away from the north until the situation is resolved.
Kosovo is a former province of Serbia whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognize.
Dozens of MPs then rush to the lectern and a fight ensues, with lawmakers fighting, pushing and punching each other.
It comes as opposition parties have criticized Kurti’s policies in northern Kosovo which they say have strained relations with Western allies.
The move angered the opposition, which argued that Kurti ‘experimented’ for months and endangered Kosovo’s international standing.
Kurti was escorted out of the assembly hall during the chaos, according to local media.
Most Kosovo Serbs have also refused to recognize statehood for Kosovo, which is supported by the United States and most EU nations, but not by Russia and China.
Serbia had increased the combat readiness of the army and threatened military intervention in response to tensions in the north, which borders Serbia.
Belgrade withdrew from Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombarded the country to stop the attack on ethnic Albanian separatists.
The EU has told both countries that they must reach a solution to their dispute through an EU-brokered dialogue to join the bloc.
Western officials have stepped up efforts to bring the two sides closer, fearing further instability in Europe as the war in Ukraine continues.
NATO has sent additional troops to its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo to bolster security.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.