The second „1 out of 5 million“ protest was held in North Mitrovica on Saturday. A group of some 70 people, which included the spouse of the assassinated Oliver Ivanovic – Marina Ivanovic also marked 13 months since the Kosovo Serb politician’s death.
The protestors reiterated their demand for the murder of Oliver Ivanovic to be solved. They placed posters with the inscription „Oliver Ivanovic Street“ in several places in Sutjeska Street, where Ivanovic was shot dead exactly 13 months ago.
Other demands
They also protested against the 100% tax on Serbian goods introduced by Pristina, as well as against the unification of the northern and southern parts of the city recently publicly advocated for by Mitrovica South mayor Agim Bahtiri. The protesters also requested the release of Zoran Djokic recently arrested by Kosovo police at the Jarinje crossing over alleged war crimes. Zoran Djokic, a Mitrovica resident and originally an IDP from south of Ibar River is believed to be innocent and a decent citizen by his fellow citizens.
Just before the walk, the organizer Dejan Nedeljkovic told media of the alleged pressures against those who were in favour of the protests. He described them as „a great pressure from the authorities in Serbia and the authorities at a local level“.
„Since the last protest, an enormous number of people have been dismissed, many people have been suspended from work, and people are still being threatened with job dismissals because they attended the protest. I just want to ask, firstly, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and then the head of the Kosovo Office, Marko Djuric, whether they are standing directly behind this or is it some kind of caprice of some local people? If local people are behind it, then let it do them proud. If it is the President of Serbia or the head of the Office, then that is really a shame,“ he said.
Nedeljkovic addressed the „counting“ of the participants of the protest by President Vucic and stated that this indicates that they „were photographed and monitored the entire time“. He recalled that Oliver Ivanovic was also monitored and photographed several months before the murder, adding:
„Should we, like Oliver Ivanovic, expect a bullet and for somebody to kill us?“
„The most important demand is who killed Oliver Ivanovic and until it is discovered Serbia will not be a peaceful place to live and we will not be safe here. Thirteen months have passed since his murder and we decided to respect the will of 1700 people who signed the petition to rename Sutjeska Street and for it to bear the name of Oliver Ivanovic. Oliver deserved it. We live today in this region thanks to him and his struggle,“ one of the organizers of the protest, Dejan Nedeljkovic stated.
Another minor incident was reported, although a more serious one compared to the first protest held two weeks ago, marked with verbal provocations and insults that the protesters received from several young men who were identified by the protesters as members of a local ‘football fan’ group known as KM Firma.
Standing in the dark of the Sutjeska street sidewalk, they were chanted “Shiptar pu***”, “Janissaries” and the slogan of the Croatian ustashis “on the willows”, (instead of Serbs to be hanged on the willows, they chanted “everyone”) telling the protestors that they “sold out” and were “on the wrong side”.
At the end of the protest, where they also burned candles in honour of Oliver Ivnaovic, one of the organizers, Marko Jaksic shared his view of the provocateurs.
„These are organized fan clubs in Mitrovica that someone paid to provoke these people who walked in peace. I recognized some of them, these are the employees of the local self-governments of Serbia who were unauthorized to film us. In the coming days, I will file criminal charges for unauthorized filming. After all the pressure from last week, for such a thing to happen again is terrible, and I am afraid that all of these people are now in physical danger,“ Jaksic said.
I will say this again, Mr. Djuric, please calm down your hellhounds, because I do not believe that this is done without your consent and that you are the one who will shed Serbian blood again, because we are different, not in essential and basic matters, but on issues of expressing our views and freedoms, which is our constitutional right
Most of the protestors who spoke to KoSSev, unlike last time, wished to remain anonymous, citing “being against the insulting of intelligence” and “taking life into their own hands” as their reason for attending the protest.
„First of all, I respect this idea that we really need to stand up and take our lives into our own hands. I also spoke to the people who organized it, that next to all requests, a key requirement should be – tell us what you are preparing for us. So that no decision is made without consulting with the people who live here, not with those who are like a decoration here, but with people who have something to say and who have really suffered through it all so far,“ one protestor emphasized.
On the other hand, the protestors also spoke about the provocateurs who marked the Saturday protest, describing them as “immature, probably manipulated young men” while the reason behind their behavior, according to one protestor, is that they “do not think”.
Protest organizers also said that they agree with all the demands put forward to the government by the protestors throughout Serbia and they also stressed their disapproval of the introduction of a 100% tax on imports of Serbian goods. The gathering was secured by the Kosovo Police, as well as the Italian Carabinieri.
The largest Kosovo Serb party Srpska Lista reacted with a statement immediately after the protest:
“A dozen citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica instructed by Djilas, Jeremic and Rada Trajkovic, supported by some 20 citizens of municipalities outside of Kosovo and Metohija, while hiding anti-Serb intentions behind the tragic murder of Oliver Ivanovic, failed to criticize the Albanians’ celebration of a unilateral, unlawfully proclaimed independence of the so-called Kosovo.“
„Srpska Lista thanked the Mitrovica people who ignored this anti-Serbian rally and thus preserved the honor of the city of heroes, Kosovska Mitrovica, in which Serbia is kept safe and nurtured,“ TV Most reported the statement of Srpska Lista.
Also the same protest was organized in Gracanica a few days earlier, but was attended by a handful of residents from Gracanica and nearby places. Their demands are similar with a key message against ethnic delimitation advocated by the Serbian and Kosovo presidents.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
