By Saša Janković
Dear Ilir,
I wrote you a letter last Friday but never sent it – I had a feeling it would become outdated by the very next day. The students had planned a massive protest in Belgrade for Saturday.
And that’s what happened. From the moment a secret weapon was fired at the people that
night, Serbia was no longer the same.
What I couldn’t have foreseen was that on the very same night – when an illegal weapon
discharged a sonic blast in the midst of half a million people gathered in Belgrade, during a
moment of silence honouring the victims of a tragedy in Novi Sad – another tragedy would
unfold. This time, in Kočani, North Macedonia. What a dark day.
I’m writing to you now from Skopje, where I arrived Monday morning, still in shock. The letter I never sent began like this:
„I’m writing to you the day before the massive civic and public protest in Belgrade, March 15. I wish you were here to witness these moments firsthand, because they instil a deep sense of awe at the power of a people rising to demand justice and dignity. It’s a lesson one remembers for a lifetime – one that should be learned by anyone who ever thinks themselves worthy of wielding power. It should serve as both a warning and a lesson in humility“.
But some people simply cannot be taught. The natural human tendency to hope for positive change in others is something a particular kind of person only exploits against the first.
After Saturday’s use of that horrific weapon in the heart of Belgrade (out of the four of us friends who were there as a group, three are suffering the consequences), I no longer have even the smallest space left in me for dialogue with those who ordered this crime, pressed the button, or played any role in the criminal syndicate that has hijacked our country.
They are waging a war against the people just so they can keep their thousand-euro boots on our necks.
I’m angry at myself, too. Because despite everything I know, despite the many warnings
issued by Aleksandar Vučić – „…We’ll let them protest for five, six minutes, and then the state will respond and SOUND the end.” Or: „On Saturday, the state will SOUND the end. Don’t send your children to the protest that day!“ – I still couldn’t believe they would actually go that far.
That they would use a high-tech SONIC weapon in such a treacherous way – firing it right at the end of a fifteen-minute silence held in honour of the victims, against their own people.
After that, I could never again talk to them, maybe only negotiate.
Anyways, despite “sounding the end” with sonic weapon, the protests and the fight for
freedom have not been silenced. Of course, at first, many people were terrified by the evil
they experienced while peacefully standing in the central street of their capital city. But fear
was short-lived. The anger over what’s being done to them, in their own country, is growing – and will only continue to grow, relentlessly and unstoppably.
History has seen everything. But never has a government defeated its own people. Serbia will be no exception.
And the tragedy in Kočani… A woman from North Macedonia wrote on X:
„Good morning, corruption. Who will you kill today?“
That’s where we are now. Corruption is killing us all. A glimmer of hope comes from the fact that at least the Macedonian authorities acted swiftly, arresting dozens of people suspected of enabling this horror – whether through their actions, inaction, greed, ignorance, or sheer laziness.
Another small light of hope -is the solidarity we’ve seen – through words and actions, as
much as each person can contribute. It reminds us of better times.
I believe it points us toward real progress in the Balkans. But on that, perhaps in another letter, in better time.
Saša
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
