"When exactly a year ago, we marked the 220th anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising and 189th anniversary of the adoption of the Sretenje Constitution with a ceremonial academy at this place, flocks of crows and ravens set out for Pljevlja and the people of Pljevlja, to prove, and above all to threaten, that Serbs from Pljevlja should neither be allowed nor should they celebrate Serbian holidays and Serbian victories," said the Mayor of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, at the Sretenje Academy, which was organized by the Serbian Cultural Center Patriarch Varnava at the Cultural Center in Pljevlja, on the occasion of the 221st anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising and 190th anniversary of the adoption of the Sretenje Constitution.
Last year, the same event was organized by the Municipality of Pljevlja.
At the beginning of the Academy, the Svetosavnik choir performed the hymn "Bože pravde" (God of Justice), and then "Onamo namo" (Towards the Righteous).
"They asked us, the people of Pljevlja, to bow to their false history, which says that the people of the Pljevlja region are not what they are and that instead of the Serbian flag, we should raise a white flag, which should be the guiding flag instead of the holy Serbian tricolor. That was not and will never be. The Serbian people of the Pljevlja region have never sold out or knelt down, and have never raised a white flag in front of stronger opponents, nor in front of much larger forces, and especially not in front of anyone. A year ago, and now, we are aware that only by respecting the vows of our ancestors can we survive," said the first man of the city.
He told those who are bothered by Serbs and Serbness "that we must all have equal rights, that we should all inherit our significant dates, our identity and our culture."
"This is a prerequisite for true democracy and the best guarantee of a harmonious common life of understanding and the realization of true freedom for all equally. Tonight's academy arose from the primordial knowledge of the Serbian people of the Pljevlja region that they are an inseparable part of the overall Serbian national being and the realization that throughout history this people has been a golden clasp, connecting the Serbian people, who lived and still live in the areas of today's Republic of Serbia, Montenegro and Republika Srpska. That was the case, and that will remain the case. That we Serbs from this area between the Tara and Lim and the Upper Drina were and remain the Serbian finfish has been confirmed countless times," said Vraneš.
He said that "our generation of Pljevlja residents, whom the people have entrusted with governing this city, is aware of the gravity of its obligation, first and foremost, to restore all those national values on which we have survived in this area through the centuries."
"All our modern prosperity is in vain if we uproot ourselves and surrender to the gloomy winds that blow from all sides. That is why we should all be who we are, nothing less and nothing more. That is precisely why there is a monument to Predrag Peđa Leovac in the park, and many streets in the city bear the names of famous and recognized Pljevlja residents. That is why work will soon begin on the construction of Patriarch Varnava Square. We still have many more undertakings ahead of us, along with all the other tasks, to sweep the dust off the very essence of the Serbian people... These are the Pljevljas that many who have never thought well of us or other peoples who live here will have to get used to," said Vraneš.
The Bishop of the Mileševo Diocese, Atanasije, also spoke at the Academy.
The artistic program was attended by actor Slobodan Ćustić, the Pljevlja Cultural and Artistic Society, Kud SKC Patrijarh Varnava, and gusl player Vaso Đondović.
Last year's celebration organized by the Municipality of Pljevlja caused mixed reactions from the Montenegrin public, and for organizing the ceremonial academy, criminal charges were filed against Vraneš by the deputy president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Petar Odžić, the secretary general of the Social Democrats (SD) Miloš Čelanović, the vice president of the Liberal Party (LP) Jelena Marković, and lawyer Bojan Vujović.
Vraneš was charged with the criminal offense of preparing an act that is unconstitutional to the order and security of Montenegro under Article 373, paragraph 1, in connection with the criminal offenses of endangering independence under Article 357 and endangering territorial integrity under Article 359 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.
The Prosecutor's Office in Pljevlja has determined that there is no suspicion that Vranes committed any of the criminal offenses for which he is being prosecuted ex officio. The Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Bijelo Polje accepted the complaint against the decision of the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Pljevlja in the middle of last year. The public has not been informed about the outcome of the repeated proceedings.
Bonus video:
