Kosovo's Trigger-Happy Picnickers Condemned

Civil society activists in Kosovo have condemned a four-minute video, which shows a group of around 40 men firing weapons as they enjoy country music and drink alcohol, saying it sends all the wrong messages.

"The video is very cruel. What I’ve seen of this video was terrifying," Nazim Haliti, from the Forum for Civic Intitiatives, FIQ, told Balkan Insight. "It’s appalling to see a group of adults firing weapons like that. They had more bullets then food,” Haliti added.

FIQ runs a programme, which has been active for five years, dealing with safety and security. The organisation held recent public gatherings in two towns in Kosovo, Ferizaj and Shtime, to raise public awareness about illegal weapons. 

In a recent report, entitled “A matter of Trust”, the group aimed to investigate public perceptions of safety and security in Kosovo. The report noted that the presence of small arms and light weapons in Kosovo remains considerable. 

Although most people seem aware of the potential risks related to weapons, a considerable minority still feel that owning weapons makes them or their families safer, the group says.  

Haliti said the level of police action related to cases such as the recent video was disappointing. “We know about some cases when even police officers go to weddings and parties with their official weapons and fire them,” Haliti said.