Police in Kosovo fired tear gas to disperse groups of stone-throwing protesters Saturday as thousands took to the streets of Pristina to demand the dismissal of a Serb minister accused of insulting the ethnic Albanian majority.

The clashes erupted at the end of a rally in the capital at which some 7,000 people, according to police, called on the government to fire Labour and Social Welfare Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic, one of three Serb ministers in Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's cabinet.

The demonstrations which were held recently in Pristina (the most massive since the arrival of the international community in Kosovo and Metohija) were based on the platform of Serbophobia: 1) the criticism of the Serbian minister in the Kosovo government and 2) the resistance to the Belgrade’s efforts to resolve the issue of Trepca. The right to protest is the basis of any democratic society. However, according to the old Balkan tradition, in the case of Saturday’s demonstrations, the same right was misused to the level of absurdity.

Serbia will not respond to the request of Kosovo's opposition to dismiss the Minister of Returns and Communities, Aleksandra Jablanovic, because the Serbian list was not talking with the opposition movement Self-determination, but with parties with whom is in the government, it is the position of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija regarding Jablanovic dismissal.

Vetevendosje MP Rexhep Selimi said today that they have called for a peaceful protest against statements by Communities and Returns Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic and the Trepca issue. “Our goal is to have a peaceful protest,” Selimi told the news site. “This government is giving the people many reasons to protest. This is neither the first nor the last protest. I don’t know if there will be more or less protesters than on Saturday.”

In an interview for RTK, Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi, said that Kosovo has more important priorities than to deal with the statements of Communities and Returns Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic. “The Trepca issue is way more important. Serbian cannot take Trepca. Kosovo is an independent country,” Selimi said.

Analysts in Pristina believe that the demands of the opposition, civil society and students for the dismissal of the Minister of Communities and Returns in the Kosovo government Aleksandar Jablanović are just an excuse to "topple the government" and eventually cause early elections. They also believe that yesterday's demonstrations were the largest since 1999 and that the government should therefore take care not to lose support of the voters. 

The Association of the Families of Missing Persons in Kosovo declared that they will not attend any protest organized by political parties, and called on family members of the missing not to be manipulated by politicians. Members of the Association called on Prime Minister Isa Mustafa to dismiss the Minister for Communities and Returns Aleksandar Jablanovic for his “insulting statement for the family members of missing people.” “The visit of Serbian Prime Minister in such a tense situation is humiliating for the families of the missing,” it is on their reaction.

Kosovo police fired teargas on Saturday evening to disperse thousands of protesters throwing stones at a government building in a demonstration called by ethnic Albanian opposition parties. It was the biggest protest seen in Pristina since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Representatives of the Serbian National Forum (SNF) (an organization that gathers Serbian intellectuals from Kosovo, whose goal is to solve the problems of the Serbian community) in press release criticized the Minister Jablanović for an apology sent to the mothers of Djakovica/Gjakove. The statement, among other things says that Jablanović apologized only to mothers of Albanian ethnicity, but not to the Serbian mothers whose children "could not be buried in this town, but their bones are scattered all over the place." 

The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN) said today it supports the “Cries of Mothers” Association and that it will join the national protest on Saturday in front of the National Library in Pristina. “For 16 years now, the ‘Cries of Mothers’ Association has called for the fate of missing persons to be resolved. The hate speech used by Aleksandar Jablanovic and his position not to recognize the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state, has caused great concern with the KWN and all the people of Kosovo.