WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE:ANTENA M- AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The incident that took place yesterday in the village of Gornje Zaostro near Berane, during the removal of the monument to the criminal Pavle Đurišić, when journalists were physically and verbally abused, had elements of a lynching, and the state has shown that it has no real control over that area, said Pobjeda's press photographer, Stevo Vasiljević
He described the dramatic moments he experienced for Television E, together with his colleagues Boris Pejović and Balša Rudović from Vijesti.
As he stated, the morning at the location passed peacefully, with a correct attitude from the hosts. However, upon returning from Berane, when the removal of the bust began, the situation escalated.
- On the plateau where we had previously worked normally, a crowd moved towards us. At one point, it was on the verge of a lynching. People insulted us, pushed us, threatened us. One man broke my camera with a beer bottle and tried to hit me on the head. Another, an older man, rushed at me with a knife. Everyone was armed, a crowd without control. In such conditions, you stop reporting and try to protect yourself - said Vasiljević.
He claims that the incident could have been prevented in a few seconds, because, according to him, the priests, not the state institutions, were in control of the event.
- They were actually determining what was allowed and what was not. If the priest, with whom we spoke kindly in the morning, had approached and said 'stop and see what was happening', the crowd would have stopped. But he retreated. When Saruman says 'go', the Orcs go. When he says 'stop', the Orcs stop. That's what it looked like - he described.
Vasiljević believes that the incident shows a serious problem - that the executive branch does not control part of the territory of Montenegro, and that it no longer feels absolutely safe because representatives of the executive branch cannot guarantee security on the territory of the state.
- If I, as a journalist with decades of experience and accreditation in all state bodies, need to ask a priest for a 'blessing' in order to work, then that means they control that space. The state does not apply there. The rules of conduct are determined by priests - said Vasiljević.
He drew a parallel with situations in which states lose sovereignty over a part of their territory.
- Just as Ukraine does not have control over Crimea, here, when you pass through the tunnel near Kolašin, it seems to me that the state no longer has control. This is a defeat of institutions. Decisions are made there by other organizations, not the executive branch - said Vasiljević.
He also criticized the absence of police during the event.
- There was not a single police officer at the event, which was banned. When there is no police, when there is a threat of serious escalation - that is further proof that the state has no control there - he said.
Vasiljević warned that a situation in which citizens and journalists begin to organize their own protection leads to anarchy.
- If I have to think about how to protect myself at an event in Montenegro, it means that the state is not functioning. However, I will continue to report, because that is the only way for those areas to one day become safe – said Vasiljević.
