Some of the Montenegrin political actors say that they support the current student protests in Serbia, some of them, although they consider the demonstrations to be legitimate, still say that they do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of the neighboring country, while some political subjects are silent about the mentioned events.
Among those who do not advertise are the ruling Europe Now Movement (PES), the Socialist People's Party (SNP) and the parties of the former Democratic Front (DF) - New Serbian Democracy (NSD) of Andrija Mandić and the Democratic People's Party (DNP) of Milan Knažević.
NSD and DNP are considered political actors close to the regime of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
Student protests in the neighboring country began as part of the "Stop, Serbia" action, which honored the victims of the accident at the Railway Station in Novi Sad on November 1, when 15 people died due to the collapse of the canopy on its building. After the physical attack on students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade on November 22, for which the students accused local representatives of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the protests escalated into blockades of the faculty and the rectory.
More than 50 faculties at four state universities, several rectories and dozens of high schools were blocked. The students in the blockades are demanding political and criminal responsibility for the fall of the canopy. According to the Archive of Public Assemblies of Serbia, around 100.000 citizens attended the protest on Sunday in Belgrade's Slavija Square.
Under pressure from the public, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, announced on December 11 that 195 documents on the reconstruction of the Railway Station will be published on the Government's website, claiming that this is the complete documentation. While the authorities claim to have fulfilled all their demands, student representatives say that the published documentation is not complete and does not provide an answer to the question of who is responsible and what happened.
Bogdanović: The justification of the request is a question for the citizens of Serbia
The head of the parliamentary group of the ruling Democrats, Boris Bogdanović, told "Vijesta" that the party consistently advocates the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Stating that they themselves "fought against the former regime in Montenegro through peaceful protests, believing in the power of the will of the people and respecting the voice of every citizen", Bogdanović said that they consider the demonstrations in Belgrade "an expression of the legitimate democratic right of the citizens of Serbia to express their opinion and requirements”.
"Although we remain consistent with the principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, it is clear that any democratic process, including peaceful protests, must be respected and enabled. Government reactions to such protests should be restrained, democratic and in accordance with human rights. We defended the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries even when actors from other countries, including the government in Serbia, interfered in the internal affairs of Montenegro and its political decisions, and we remain consistent with that position," he said.
Asked if he thinks there will be a change of government in Serbia, Bogdanović replied that the change of government in every democratic state depends on the free will of the citizens and that it is "expressed through elections".
"As a party that deeply respects democratic processes, we believe that it is up to the citizens of Serbia to decide the future of their country. Our position remains the same - Montenegro does not interfere in the internal political affairs of other countries, because we believe that the sovereign citizens of each country are the best arbiters of their own destiny", he underlined.
When asked if he thinks that the students from Serbia are right, the Democrat deputy said that students are often "the voice of the conscience of society" and that their right to protest and express their opinion must be protected in every democratic state.
"Just as we fought against the former regime, we value every form of peaceful and dignified protest. However, we emphasize that the evaluation of the justification of their requests is a question for the citizens of Serbia and their society", he added.
Ćorović: The students' requests were always logical
Member of the ruling Bosniak Party (BS), Jasmin Ćorović, told "Vijesta" that the demonstrations are a form of democratic expression of the position.
"As a former student of the University of Belgrade, I must say that students in Belgrade and in general in Serbia have always been the conscience and consciousness of the citizens of Serbia, and I am certainly someone who gives that democratic latitude, especially to young people, to show their dissatisfaction completely unhindered if there is any ", he said, adding that students in Serbia had protested before, "in previous regimes", and that their demands "always turned out to be logical demands that every government should consider".
Recalling that the protests started because of the tragedy in Novi Sad, Ćorović said that the Government of Serbia should have investigated the case in more detail and that all those responsible should be prosecuted.
"Given that we are democratic societies, both Montenegro and Serbia, I really support the fact that everyone has the right to freely express their opinion, send a message and demand certain answers from the authorities. The government is a service for the citizens and exists for them, not for themselves, and it is important that they always give answers to what the public expects from them", stated the interlocutor.
Ćorović said that he could not answer the question of whether there would be a change of government in Serbia because of the student protests, because, as he stated, he was not sufficiently informed, "and that requires a more detailed analysis."
"While I was studying, we protested several times and we were always right," he said.
Ilir Čapuni, a member of the Albanian Alternative coalition, told "Vijesti" that he supports the student protests.
"Students are always right, even when they complain about a grade. As a university professor, I support them," he added.
Nikolić: We expect a change in relations with Montenegro
The head of the parliamentary group of the opposition Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Andrija Nikolić, assessed that students in every country are the "carriers of progress and the corrective of society". He told "Vijesta" that the latest events in Serbia triggered a student rebellion, which a few days ago resulted in "the most massive student demonstrations in that country since the introduction of multi-party system".
"A government that does not listen to the demands of students cannot be called democratic, regardless of whether the students are right in everything or not," claims Nikolić.
He said that he does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of another country, nor to predict whether there may be a change of government in Serbia. The impression, he notes, is that certain lessons have not been learned from the events of the near and far past, and that, according to him, "we are still unsuccessfully waiting for Serbia to change its attitude towards its neighbors, especially towards Montenegro".
"Where is he trying to regulate the life of ethnically declared Serbs, and consequently other citizens of Montenegro. A democratic, stable and pro-Western Serbia, which is focused on itself, is in the best interest of Montenegro and the region," he said.
Konatar: I support the students
Miloš Konatar, the head of the parliamentary group of the opposition Civic Movement (GP) URA, stated that he "always supports the activities of students", including those currently in Serbia.
"I am glad to see that students everywhere, including in Serbia, are fighting for their better future. I am sorry for the occasion that made them come together. But, in any case, I support the students", he told "Vijesta".
When asked if there could be a change of government in the neighboring country, Konatar answered by saying that it will be decided by the citizens of Serbia in the elections.
"But, in any case, I support the fact that the students woke up, that they decided to take matters into their own hands. I am always on the side of the students. As far as I'm concerned, the students in Serbia are right," he underlined.
Zirojević: Let our citizens stand up against Vučić's bullies
Social Democrats (SD) MP Nikola Zirojević said that the demonstrations in Belgrade are not the focus of his activities, although "from the bottom of his heart" he wants Serbia to "save itself from the autocratic regime that causes the most damage to the citizens of Serbia".
"However, just as students and free-thinking citizens of Serbia rebelled against Vučić, I want to believe that, in the same way, all free-thinking citizens of Montenegro will rebel like Vučić's puppets installed in leadership positions in Montenegro. I can tell you that they would be absolutely right," he said.
Zoran Stojiljković, a retired professor at the Faculty of Political Science (FPN) in Belgrade, told "Vijesta" that, "already traditionally, the corpus of '(pro)Serbian' parties in the environment of Serbia, before all those in Montenegro and BiH, that is, in the Republika Srpska (RS), especially those in power in their countries, shows a tendency towards closeness and ties" with the ruling regime in Belgrade.
He says that only a part of those parties "in opposition status" have connections with the opposition in Serbia.
"In this regard, the 1990s in Montenegro, when the DPS was actually in a pro-Serbian position, i.e. pro-regime, contain interesting experiences and grounds for comparison. (President of the RS) Milorad Dodik, in this regard, represents an example of a double turnaround in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the RS. First from a modern pro-Western social democrat to Putin's (Vladimir, President of Russia) favorite and populist autocrat, and then simultaneously from Tadić (Boris, former President of Serbia) to Vučić. It is as if he expects from the regime in Serbia to be declared an authorized representative of the Serbs in his own country", says the interlocutor.
Stojiljković: Whoever sticks to Vučić will lose support
Stojiljković, on the other hand, assesses that the "history of relations" between Mandić and Knežević leads to "a kind of caution and calculation about the deployment of forces in Serbia." If, he says, there are changes in Belgrade, the new group in power will not look favorably on those "who showed loyalty to Vučić to the end and without reservations."
"Probably, like the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in their first reactions they will then call for peace and unity and warn that these conflicts only harm the interests of Serbia and the Serbs in the region. I believe that the majority of those who declare themselves as Serbs in Montenegro are aware of the extent to which the democratic public, not only the opposition in Serbia, but Vučić's manner of omnipresent and usurping rule... losing support among the Serbs themselves in Montenegro", he assesses.
This, adds Stojiljković, especially if students and citizens in Serbia are fighting against "corrupt and arrogant and irresponsible government", that they rose up caused by a great tragedy caused by incompetence and that their goal is to live in a decent society. And a decent society, he says, is a society in which the state does not humiliate its citizens, and they do not agree to humiliate themselves and humiliate each other. With the exception, he adds, of those who "sacrificed their integrity and dignity, all sense of moderation and shame, and who are forced to resign from the positions of ministers, stating that they feel neither subjective nor objective responsibility, but obey the will and the reason of the great leader".
"To whom are they grateful for the position they have. The people say that the more your head is bowed, the more your tur is raised, so that is also a legitimation of your courtly character. I believe that the vast majority of Montenegrin citizens, of course Serbs, along with citizens of Serbia who have started to practice an upright political walk, and that Mandić and Knežević and others will not run to choose worse, as in Arsen Dedić's song. Although he will certainly be under pressure", concludes the professor of the Belgrade FPN.
Due to suspicions of omissions during the reconstruction of the station in Novi Sad, 13 people were arrested. Among them was the former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, who was released from custody after a few days.
Đukić: It is not convenient for anyone in Montenegro to be against protests
Citizen activist Stefan Đukić assesses for "Vijesti" that it is obvious whose side the citizens of Montenegro are on regarding the protests in Serbia, regardless, he says, of how they feel nationally, politically, etc.
It is obvious, according to his words, that the sympathies of the "vast majority" are with the students, the families of the unfortunate victims, all those who are protesting...
"Citizens identify with them. Therefore, it is not politically expedient for anyone in Montenegro, not even those who are close to the regime in Serbia, to identify themselves as opponents of the protests in any way. We see that Vučić is trying to come out with a story - 'the students are right'... It is obviously about disobedience, which has great sympathy both in Serbia and in the region", states Đukić.
Support also from Krivokapić
Former Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić also supported student protests in Serbia.
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"'And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it'. Dear students in Serbia, you are the light of truth and truth in this gloomy everyday life of ours. Persevere on your path free-minded, dignified and courageous. "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves," he wrote on the "X" network.
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