Rally in Podgorica: The police estimated that there were 50.000 people

A rally was held tonight at the Independence Square in Podgorica, where thousands of citizens gathered.

The rally started at 19:XNUMX p.m., and it was announced by Montenegrin patriotic organizations, as they call themselves, without specifying any name or specific organization behind the rally.

The police administration stated on their Twitter account that according to their estimation, around 50.000 citizens were present at the rally and that everything was going on without incident.

The police department also announced on Twitter that the rally passed without a single incident.

Peđa Vušurović said that Montenegro lived "before and will live after him".

He told those present not to embarrass the "king of martyrs".

"The real ones stand up when it's difficult and don't ask how much it will cost them. There are some of us here who cannot be disgusted by the country that gave birth to us. Somehow you don't look like the devil's nails or fake people," he said.

He pointed out that the only party that brought them together was Montenegro.

He said that there can be neither black birds nor Srebrenica.

He said that these days "they are being offered someone else's meal" with someone else's flags after 75 years.

He said that Montenegro was fed up with "Chetnik freedom".

Amina Brahić from Pljevlja said that the Bosniak people are being threatened, but that she feels safe under the Montenegrin flag.

"Whoever tries to undermine the foundation of libertarian Montenegro will encounter the Montenegrin youth who will not give it to anyone," she said.

Nemanja Batrićević, a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Political Sciences (FPN), said that they gathered to tell people not to be ashamed of the Montenegrin name and to send a message to Bosniaks, Croats, and Muslims that they are not alone.

"Without you, we don't even need Montenegro," he said.

He said that they are here to promise that they will not give in to the "Ravnogorsk fool".

"The latter is a hurray for Dritan Abazović, Žarko and Luka Rakčević and Filipe Adžić. If you hand over Montenegro to the Chetniks, you will be remembered as traitors," he said.

Bojana Vatić from Novi Sad said via video message that this is a choice between the future and the past.

"The Great Serbian project has been defeated," she said.

Those present shouted "We will not give the state".

National flags of Montenegro were flying, crusader banners...

Earlier it was announced that the torchlight will be at the end of the program, before the national anthem, so the participants were told to keep the torches.

As "Vijesti" has learned, according to police records from other cities, between six and seven thousand people headed to Podgorica for the rally, mostly in private cars and with a few buses.

Minister of Sports and Youth Nikola Janović, President of the Municipality of Nikšić Veselin Grbović and Deputy of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Bogdan Fatić were also present at the gathering.

Directors of companies and secretariats of the Capital City, Marko Rakočevič, Nusret Canović, Lazarela Kalezić, were also present at the meeting.

Zlatko Vujović, president of the Management Board of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Center for Monitoring (CEMI), was also present.

The presence of police in civilian clothes and uniforms is noticeable in the city.

A large number of citizens used to be in bars in Njegoševa Street.

For days, "News" from the Police Administration did not answer the question of whether the gathering in Podgorica had been registered.

The question of whether it was approved and who reported the gathering was also not answered.

A stage was set up on the main city square, and RTCG journalist Nebojša Šofranac announced that he would lead the program at the rally.

"Vijesti" did not answer whether the police will eventually, as they did two weeks ago, block the entrances to Podgorica.

It was then announced that they did it to prevent the spread of the contagious disease.

The organizers of the meeting, as they call themselves, Montenegrin patriotic organizations, said that tonight's meeting will see "gentlemanly, patriotic, European Montenegro".

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) previously announced the event from their official pages on social networks, but they clarified that they are not the organizers.

Public gatherings are limited to 100 people in an open public space by the measures of the National Coordination Body (NKT), with the obligation to respect a physical distance of at least two meters between people, wear protective masks and disinfect hands with an appropriate disinfectant.

These measures were massively violated in recent weeks at celebrations of the opposition's election results, at so-called auto-lithias and so-called anti-lithias.

On August 23, the police blocked the entrance to Podgorica, saying that organized arrivals of citizens were prevented in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in accordance with the measures and orders of the Ministry of Health.

Earlier today, the Institute of Public Health (IPH) announced that among over 526 samples, 131 were positive for the new coronavirus.

The IJZ has repeatedly warned that the responsibility of citizens in complying with the measures is key in the fight against the coronavirus, but also that any gathering outside the prescribed measures is a potential danger to public health.

Note: In the previous version of the text, it was wrongly quoted that Batrićević said that the latter was a hurray for Dritan Abazović, Žarko and Luka Rakčević and Filip Adzić.

Batrićević said: "Hooray for Dritan Abazović, Luka and Žarko Rakčević and Filipe Adzić"