Serbia: Good morning, Fascist Serbia!
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Women in Black These elections, the most important since the toppling of Milosevic seven years ago, have proved that time can stand still. One third of the population still votes for the fascist Radical Party, whose leader Seselj is in jail in The Hague.
Between dramatic hunger strikes, Seselj raves politically against the vast conspiracies of "the West." I know a translator who was forced to translate those speeches of his; driven mad, he resigned.
Here in Belgrade, half an hour after the official results were confirmed, my gay friend and a Woman in Black activist were attacked and beaten in the streets by joyful skinheads.
Yesterday, young voters in their early twenties were crying in front of the school where they were supposed to vote. I interviewed them. They told me they were desperate because they cannot vote for what they want in their lives, but only against what they fear. Their youthful aspirations are overwhelmed by fascists, radicals, wars, global isolation... They have had enough of that treatment in their young lives, for practically all their days. "Never make decisions out of fear," I told them boldly. I wonder how they voted. The gypsy party was first time in history on the electoral list. But death threats, and graffiti "Go Back to India" immediately appeared in their neighbourhoods.
A small and promising new party (LDP) passed the electoral threshold to enter Parliament. The leader of this party, a younger man who personally arrested Milosevic seven years ago, had a tough election campaign. In the last day before the vote, somebody planted a device under his car, apparently a bomb. The police blocked the streets for several panicky hours, then denied that anything had happened. I myself was a couple of blocks away, I saw the incident take place, but denial is a big art in Serbia. Who are you going to believe: the official version, or your lying eyes?
A couple of us electoral losers spent the evening waiting for new Serbia to arise. On blog B92, we chatted with our virtual friends from all over the world, many of whom who left Serbia in order to survive. As the new day was dawning, our hopes were fading. Those who left Serbia have no reason to return. If we ourselves leave, then we forfeit the country to the raucous, violent minority who just won the most votes, but can't take power. They want us to leave. Then they'd make life here impossible even for themselves.
I wonder: if every last Serbian left Serbia as a hopeless, dysfunctional mess, would "Serbia" still exist? Would the last Serbs to leave the country turn out the lights? Maybe the last pair standing would become cannibals, in our ultimate political solution: kill and eat.
Jasmina Tesanovic
22 January 2007
Jasmina's Blog http://blog.b92.net/blog/22
Yesterday, young voters in their early twenties were crying in front of the school where they were supposed to vote. I interviewed them. They told me they were desperate because they cannot vote for what they want in their lives, but only against what they fear. Their youthful aspirations are overwhelmed by fascists, radicals, wars, global isolation... They have had enough of that treatment in their young lives, for practically all their days. "Never make decisions out of fear," I told them boldly. I wonder how they voted. The gypsy party was first time in history on the electoral list. But death threats, and graffiti "Go Back to India" immediately appeared in their neighbourhoods.
A small and promising new party (LDP) passed the electoral threshold to enter Parliament. The leader of this party, a younger man who personally arrested Milosevic seven years ago, had a tough election campaign. In the last day before the vote, somebody planted a device under his car, apparently a bomb. The police blocked the streets for several panicky hours, then denied that anything had happened. I myself was a couple of blocks away, I saw the incident take place, but denial is a big art in Serbia. Who are you going to believe: the official version, or your lying eyes?
A couple of us electoral losers spent the evening waiting for new Serbia to arise. On blog B92, we chatted with our virtual friends from all over the world, many of whom who left Serbia in order to survive. As the new day was dawning, our hopes were fading. Those who left Serbia have no reason to return. If we ourselves leave, then we forfeit the country to the raucous, violent minority who just won the most votes, but can't take power. They want us to leave. Then they'd make life here impossible even for themselves.
I wonder: if every last Serbian left Serbia as a hopeless, dysfunctional mess, would "Serbia" still exist? Would the last Serbs to leave the country turn out the lights? Maybe the last pair standing would become cannibals, in our ultimate political solution: kill and eat.
Jasmina Tesanovic
22 January 2007
Jasmina's Blog http://blog.b92.net/blog/22
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Report of the attack against Women in Black Activists
At 12:30 in the morning on January 22, Violeta Đikanović and Miloš Urošević, two Women in Black activists, were violently attacked by three skinheads in the passage between Sremska Street and Zeleni Venac in central Belgrade. They were returning from Dom Omladine (a youth cultural center), where they were awaiting the results of the parliamentary election with the electoral staff of the Liberal Democratic Party-Social Democratic Union coalition.
Miloš was heckled, “see that faggot. I know you. You are part of Women in Black. Because of you, I have a criminal record.” Violeta reacted, turning to the heckler, “Are you saying something to me?” Upon hearing that, he turned towards the activists. He grabbed Miloš by the hair and dragged him to the ground. Violeta sprayed him in the eye. Then, another neo-Nazi grabbed her hand. She sprayed him in the eye as well. In that moment, he threw her and she flew towards the stairs. She fell down the stairs, bruising the right side of her face.
She was taken to the emergency room, where it was concluded that there was no serious damage besides contusions on her face. The police were called. They said that they would come the following day to take statements instead of appearing right away.
This situation only confirms the position of peace activists and defenders of human rights in Serbia. Our security is endangered by the state as well as by neo-Nazi and clero-fascist individuals and groups. The logical continuation of media campaigns and public demonization usually is physical attacks to which the authorities do not react. Serbia continues to be a place of unpunished violence, in which violence against those who think differently is excused.
We, Women in Black, consider this attack to be politically motivated. It is a continuation of the campaign of attacks against us since the beginning of our work in 1991. The methods change, depending on the political situation, but Women in Black, as well as related organizations, have always been the object of attacks because of their support for a different values system, primarily because of their persistent, public, and clear support for a break from the criminal past. We consider such attacks a continuation of low-intensity war—producing fear and intimidating those who are different. Attacks have not and will not deter us from our work. We will continue working for peace, justice and reconciliation through nonviolent means.
Belgrade, January 22, 2007
Women in Black
At 12:30 in the morning on January 22, Violeta Đikanović and Miloš Urošević, two Women in Black activists, were violently attacked by three skinheads in the passage between Sremska Street and Zeleni Venac in central Belgrade. They were returning from Dom Omladine (a youth cultural center), where they were awaiting the results of the parliamentary election with the electoral staff of the Liberal Democratic Party-Social Democratic Union coalition.
Miloš was heckled, “see that faggot. I know you. You are part of Women in Black. Because of you, I have a criminal record.” Violeta reacted, turning to the heckler, “Are you saying something to me?” Upon hearing that, he turned towards the activists. He grabbed Miloš by the hair and dragged him to the ground. Violeta sprayed him in the eye. Then, another neo-Nazi grabbed her hand. She sprayed him in the eye as well. In that moment, he threw her and she flew towards the stairs. She fell down the stairs, bruising the right side of her face.
She was taken to the emergency room, where it was concluded that there was no serious damage besides contusions on her face. The police were called. They said that they would come the following day to take statements instead of appearing right away.
This situation only confirms the position of peace activists and defenders of human rights in Serbia. Our security is endangered by the state as well as by neo-Nazi and clero-fascist individuals and groups. The logical continuation of media campaigns and public demonization usually is physical attacks to which the authorities do not react. Serbia continues to be a place of unpunished violence, in which violence against those who think differently is excused.
We, Women in Black, consider this attack to be politically motivated. It is a continuation of the campaign of attacks against us since the beginning of our work in 1991. The methods change, depending on the political situation, but Women in Black, as well as related organizations, have always been the object of attacks because of their support for a different values system, primarily because of their persistent, public, and clear support for a break from the criminal past. We consider such attacks a continuation of low-intensity war—producing fear and intimidating those who are different. Attacks have not and will not deter us from our work. We will continue working for peace, justice and reconciliation through nonviolent means.
Belgrade, January 22, 2007
Women in Black
Submitted on Tue, 01/23/2007 - 00:00