MP Rexhepi: Protesters grabbed me and pushed me into the Assembly courtyard

Fahrush Rexhepi, a member of the Vetëvendosje Movement, spoke on RTK Prime about the events that took place after the session of the Kosovo Assembly was adjourned. According to him, several protesters who were standing outside the building stopped him and then physically grabbed him.

Rexhepi, a professor and doctor, and the brother of martyr Njazi Rexhepi, explained that after the session ended, he left the Assembly building to receive medical treatment. He initially went around the back, where there was no crowd, but when he changed direction toward the main entrance, he was stopped by several protesters.

The MP said that three or four people had stopped him and asked whether he was an MP. The protesters then asked which party he belonged to, and he replied that he was a member of the Vetëvendosje Movement.

The situation worsened when the protesters asked Rexhepi to return inside the building, even though the session had ended. He refused, telling them that the session had been held and the bill had been voted on, while emphasizing that the MPs would return for the next meeting.

According to Rexhepi, the atmosphere became tense and the protesters’ conduct grew aggressive. He told them to let him remain there without grabbing, touching or pushing him, or forcing him to sit down in a forced confrontation, since that was not his intention.

Rexhepi claimed that the escalation occurred after Çlirim Haziri approached, whom he identified as the main leader of the protest. According to the MP, Haziri further inflamed the tense situation, after which the protesters violently grabbed him and took him into the Assembly courtyard.

The MP stated that he knew and had identified several of the people who, according to him, had been particularly violent during the incident. He said he would take the matter up with the Kosovo Police.

Rexhepi rejected the way he had been treated by the protesters. He mentioned that he had also taken part in protests against the Specialist Chambers and said that no one should treat people he knew in that manner, nor fail to recognize and appreciate his actions and contribution.