An association representing families of Serbs killed during the Kosovo war said a display of victims’ photographs outside the Serbian parliament needed protection, and called for a permanent memorial.

The Association of Families of Kidnapped and Murdered Civilians, Soldiers and Policemen in Kosovo from 1998 until 2000 will hang a black ribbon on the huge banner display of Kosovo war victims’ photographs outside the Serbian parliament in Belgrade on Friday to urge the government to do more to protect it.

The association, which installed what it calls the ‘wall of tears’ several years ago, said that it was taking action because the banner has not been protected amid the anti-government rallies thta have been staged outside parliament in the wake of April’s presidential elections.

“Protesters are using offensive words, they whistle, their music is loud, and all that in front of the wall,” Sima Spasic, the head of the association, told BIRN.

When the anti-government protests started on April 3, Spasic also told Serbian media that he had information that hooligans had torn down some of the victims’ photos.

But protest leaders have denied causing any damage to the display and no other such incidents have been reported during the ongoing protests since then.

Spasic said his association will hang the black ribbon at 12.44pm, a reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which declared that all those who remained in Kosovo after the end of the war in 1999 should be able to live in peace.

See more at: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/protection-demanded-for-serb-war-victims-memorial-05-04-2017