Good morning! Rade Milosevic was detained again last night, violence and hatred are moving from the internet to the streets, the termination of negotiations with the EU is possible, an interesting survey of public opinion by CEDEM, forced administration to be introduced in Podgorica.
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An explosion of hatred
For three years now, threats and insults on the networks have been a part of the everyday life of many people who are often in public spaces in Montenegro, since the “magnificent religious processions”. Politicians, journalists, activists and diplomats are the target of frequent organized and coordinated hate campaigns on the networks.
Personally, on a daily basis, I receive tons of hate messages and threats. I decided to report about a million of them. Maybe some six or seven cases in total. The criterion for reporting was when I considered the threat to be endangering, and when a public official of the party in power was behind the threat.
On Saturday, I took advantage of a sunny and warm December day to walk with my children aged one and eleven, and I was approached on the street by a man who ran the most famous troll page in Montenegro, from which he spread hatred every day until it was shut down. He approached me provoking me and filmed me with the children. Then on Monday, I experienced being insulted on the street by the head of the DF caucus in Budva and a relative of the mayor, whom I often criticize without crossing the boundaries of decency. Immediately after that, another inconvenience happened to me in Podgorica. I realized that something was wrong, because this had never happened to me outside of virtual reality.
Then I saw the son of former councilor Dimic from Budva, who urinated “on Cetinje”, spreading national hatred. His father is also known for his violent behavior, and he is one of the people I have reported for threats, unfortunately without success. We are talking about DF activists. Again, quite by accident.
After that, the premises of the LGBTIQ center in Podgorica were attacked.
When such a wave of hatred occurs in a very short time, then there must be a reason for it. I believe that it is not about the fact that we are in the week of the shortest days of the year, but that it is about something else. That’s why I went to IN4S and Borba, regular haters, and had something to see. In addition to the text mocking the attack on children and me, I saw incitement against Samir Rastoder and Jasmina Muminovic. I saw the same things being coordinated, because they were being imitated by the regular spreaders of hate on the networks. The targets of attacks in the physical world are those persons and groups targeted by those campaigns – Samir and Jasmina because of their names, LGBTIQ people, Cetinje as “the emanation of their evil”…
Therefore, the intensification of hatred in the digital world must at some point produce a result in the physical, real world. This happens more and more often in Montenegro, and the culprits are almost always the same. There is an identical reaction on the other side of the political spectrum, but it arose precisely as a reaction after the ten-year practice of media such as IN4S and Borba in Montenegro. Proof of this is that mime and troll pages on the other side of the spectrum appeared only in 2020.
Rade Milosevic’s second arrest
Not long after the Prime Minister socializing and dancing with Rade Milosevic at the wedding, Milosevic was arrested last night by special police officers. The minister and party friend of Milosevic, Filip Adzic, says that the law is the same for everyone. It is interesting how the prime minister dances casually next to the same Milosevic, hugging him, and probably knowing what is in store for him. What coolness.
Termination of negotiations with the EU possible?
If Montenegro does not create functional institutions, does not elect the Constitutional Court, the European Union could stop the whole process with Montenegro in January or February. The recommendation is that Montenegro does not act according to the amended Law on the President until the Constitutional Court is formed, which will assess its constitutionality. These are the messages of the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, who visited Montenegro on the mandate of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. Fajon said that she expected the announcement of a new competition for the election of four judges of the Constitutional Court by Friday.
CEDEM survey
The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), if parliamentary elections were held next week, would be supported by 27.7% of citizens, and the Europe Now movement by 15.2%, according to the survey carried out by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM). You can see how much the other parties would achieve here.
The same survey shows that there are 4% more Montenegrins than in 2011. The number of Serbs also increased by the same amount. It will be paradoxical if the census shows a decrease in the number of inhabitants at the same time.
The law to overthrow the ruling authority in Podgorica
DF’s school of ruling by decrees has established itself in the new parliamentary majority. They are repeating the same thing they did with the prosecutor’s office, the law on the president – only now at the local level. This time, the amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government limit the competences of the mayor and forced administration is introduced.
That’s it for today. We wish you a pleasant rest of the day.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM analyst
