History of Kosovo Polje

Polje'sHall of Culture (town hall) to calm a crowd of angry Serbs protesting at what they saw as anti-Serb discrimination by the Albanian-dominated Kosovo administration. When Serb citizens complained they had been beaten by Albanian police, he told them that "No one has the right to beat you.... No one will beat you ever." The incident earned Milošević the support of Serbian people, propelling him to the presidency of Serbia two years later.

Prior to the 1999 Kosovo War, Kosovo Polje was the town in Kosovo in which the Serb population formed its largest percentage at 24%. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimated in March 1998 that its population (estimated at 40,000) was around 24% Serb, 59% Albanian and 17% from other national communities.

Kosovo Polje saw considerable violence before, during and after the war. In December 1998, the Serb deputy mayor of Kosovo Polje was killed by Kosovo Liberation Army fighters despite reportedly taking a moderate line on Serb-Albanian relations. Kidnaps and assassinations of Serbs and Albanians continued until the war began. The town's Albanian population was forcibly expelled, reportedly by local Serbs and paramilitaries, and many local Albanians were killed.

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