“1997–2026”, the October 1 of popular protests: Tomorrow the mass march “Not in My Name” against the Special Court takes place

Numerous citizens from all regions have announced they will join one of the most massive gatherings of recent years in Kosovo: the march for justice titled “Not in My Name”, which will be held on Thursday, October 1, and is organized by the “Liria ka Emër” (Freedom Has a Name) platform, as Klan Kosova reports.

The march comes as a continuation of the wave of protests that has now lasted 15 consecutive days, through which citizens have opposed the conviction verdict against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army in The Hague. The gathering will start at 16:00 in Pristina, from “Skënderbeu” Square, and support has already been confirmed by different layers of society, from students to war veterans.

At a press conference held on Wednesday, representatives of the “Liria ka Emër” platform invited all citizens to join Thursday’s march, to raise their voice in support of the former KLA leaders and against the sentences handed down by the Special Court, Klan Kosova reports.

According to the organizers, among the main demands to be articulated during the march are the unification of the country’s political spectrum around this issue, the drafting of a clear institutional strategy, and the approval of the draft law on amending and supplementing the Law on the Specialist Chambers.

The march’s name, “1997–2026”, symbolically links this gathering with the popular student protests of October 1, 1997 — the organizers present Thursday’s march as a continuation of that civic tradition of resistance and popular mobilization.