Serb Protesters Clash With Police at Vienna Demo

Two policemen were reportedly injured and half a dozen people detained during the early afternoon rally in Vienna.

Serbian protesters clashed with police in the Austrian capital Sunday as thousands took to the streets of Vienna and Salzburg to demonstrate against Kosovo's independence, police said.

Two policemen were reportedly injured and half a dozen people detained during the early afternoon rally in Vienna where protesters -- estimated at 5,000 by police and twice that number by organisers -- gathered in the city's central Heroes' Square, chanting "We will not give up Kosovo."

Later, some 400 demonstrators burned the American flag and headed toward the US embassy before being stopped by anti-riot police. They then smashed store windows in a Vienna neighborhood inhabited by Kosovo expatriates.

A rally gathering roughly 2,000 Serbs took place in Salzburg without incident, the APA news agency reported.

Declared a week ago, Kosovo's independence has been recognised by both the US and Austria, home to some 300,000 Serbs.

A smaller anti-independence rally also took place in Athens gathering 200 Serbs living in Greece.
The Greek government has yet to recognise Kosovo as an independent nation, saying it would decide on the matter at a later date.