Bosnian Serb Clashes With Police at Mosque Rebuilding Ceremony
June 19, 2001 - 0:0
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina Hundreds of Bosnian Serbs clashed on Monday with police trying to protect Muslims laying a foundation stone for the rebuilding of an historic mosque in Banja Luka that was razed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, AFP said. Held back by a heavy police force, 600 to 700 Serbs whistled and shouted: "Turks, Turks," "Serbia, Serbia" and "We Don't Want Mosques" as 200 Bosnian Muslims and a number of foreign dignitaries arrived to mark the start of work to rebuild the 16th century Ferhadija Mosque in the center of the Bosnia Serb capital. As Bosnia's top Muslim cleric, Mustafa Ceric, and Bosnian Serb President Mirko Sarovic laid the foundation stone together in a show of reconciliation, Serb protestors began throwing chairs, metal bars, sticks, bricks and stones at police, who retaliated with tear gas and bursts of water cannon.