WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE ANTENA M- AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
Due to the illegal procedure of awarding this year's Thirteenth of July Award, citizens protested for more than three hours on the way to Villa Gorica, at the call of STEGA.
However, there were strong police forces at the intersections of the streets leading to the Villa, who did not allow them to pass to the place where the Thirteenth of July Award was awarded to the laureates, because, as they stated, Villa Gorica is a protected building.
At the end of the protest, director Danilo Marunović said that the state had treated them as if they were the worst criminals and had used the worst kind of repressive force.
"This cannot end on this night," said Marunović.
"We must not calm down. Tonight, official Montenegro elected Bećir Vuković instead of Miloš Karadaglić," said Marunović as the crowd chanted "This is not Serbia".
Read below and see how the protest went:
Citizens tried to break through the cordon but the police pushed them back and used pepper spray on several occasions.
Watch the link below from the 45th second as a police officer sprays citizens!
The executive director of the NGO 35mm, Darko Ivanović, who is among the demonstrators, told the police that they should not spray citizens with pepper spray, and that they should not do so in response to egg throwing.
The dean, Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Radoman, was sprayed with pepper spray by the police in an unprecedented manner, which is why he ended up in the Emergency Block, the FCJK announced.
The crowd chanted "E viva Montenegro#" and "Mandiću fascist!".
The crowd throws eggs at the police and asks them if they know who they are protecting. They chant "Fascists".
One of the banners reads "Sleeper, are you sleeping? Wake up, it's hurrah!".
Citizens carry banners "Stop lawlessness! Stop fascism!" and chant "Shame on you, Bećira".
They also sing "Oh, bright May dawn".
Among the demonstrators are directors Danilo Marunović and Mladen Ivanović, DPS MP Oskar Huter, SD official Miloš Đuričković, Branislav Radulović from the Association of Lawyers and STEGA, Liberal Party President Vatroslav Belan...
The police commander addressed the crowd, but they shouted "treason".
Citizens said that no one can forbid them from reaching the building and that the police should allow them to protest peacefully.
"No way! Let's preserve the dignity of the July 13th Award" - the call for protest was emphasized because, as the organizers stated, "instead of being a beacon by which true excellence is recognized and confirmed, the award has become a cover for aesthetic banality, ethical relativism and cultural regression".
The jury for the July 13th Award decided to award it to writer Bećir Vuković, musician Miloš Karadaglić and graphic artist Veljo Stanišić.
The president of the jury was Nikola Rakočević, and the members were Želidrag Nikčević, David Kalaj, Radoslav Stanišić, Miodrag Živković, Danilo Marunović and Dragan Koprivica.
The awarding of the award to Vuković was met with numerous reactions, because one of the laureates' statements was that "the Montenegrin nation is a communist fabrication", and in the meantime it was discovered that Vuković had received the award for a book that is not in any register. He said that the book “Homeless House” is registered in Serbia, but Antena M received information today from the National Library of Serbia that no library in that country has a copy of Vuković’s book, and according to Serbian law, every book published in that country must have a mandatory copy deposited in the National Library.
In the meantime, Montenegrin artist Miloš Karadaglić announced that in “these circumstances” he cannot receive the 13th of July Award.
Then the dust was raised by graphic artist Stanišić, who characterized Karadaglić’s decision as “smearing”. The opposition said that instead of an award, he should be served a summons from the State Prosecutor’s Office for this.
STEGA recognized the prominent and internationally recognized musician for his highly moral and responsible act and publicly announced that it would join the ranks of those subjects who will nominate him for the 13th of July Award for 2026.
They also pointed out that the right of citizens to protest is a constitutional and inviolable right, and that they expect the competent authorities to act with maximum professionalism.
Those invited to the "award ceremony" of the award at Villa Gorica, organized by the President of the Assembly Andrija Mandić, from STEGA warned that by attending it they become not only accomplices in an illegal procedure, which will be legally annulled before the Administrative Court, but also "ceremonial decor" for the negation of Montenegrin culture and the affirmation of primitive daily political populism.
