Tear fuel was hurled on the live performance of the Bosnian-Serbian singer in Albania | leisure

TIRANA, Albania (AP) – The Albanian police said on Monday that they had arrested two people for using tear gas canisters during a concert by a Bosnian-Serbian musician, whom many in the country accuse of not having condemned the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo should have thrown.

A statement said Redon Leka, 21, was arrested after hurling a tear gas canister when songwriter and composer Goran Bregovic performed at the Korca Beer Fest 165 kilometers southeast of the capital Tirana on Sunday evening.

Another man was arrested after trying to prevent the police from taking Leka away.

Bregovic didn’t stop singing, but the tear gas caused panic among some fans.

Bregovic’s presence sparked a nationalist debate in which some condemned him for failing to speak out against the Serbian atrocities against ethnic Albanians in neighboring Kosovo. Others have said an artist shouldn’t get involved in politics.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, a decade after the 1998-1999 war with Serbian forces. The war ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign displaced Serbian troops and drafted a peacekeeping force.

Most Western nations have recognized Kosovo, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. Tensions over Kosovo remain a source of volatility in the Balkans.

Bregovic visited Albania in 2006 and gave a concert at which he also received a symbolic key to Tirana from Mayor Edi Rama, the current Prime Minister of Albania. His presence did not trigger any backlash.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in any way without permission.