The informal student group "Kamo Śutra" will not give up gatherings until responsibility and omissions in the actions of the competent authorities during and after two crimes in Cetinje in which 23 people were killed are determined, said representatives of the group.
Bojana Ivanović, ahead of the protest scheduled for tomorrow, said that the "Kamo Śutra" group recognizes the government's activities to increase the number of police officers, improve legislation in the field of weapons, and organize forums on the topic of mental health, but that above all, it is necessary to determine responsibility for the failures in Cetinje.
"We cannot start fulfilling the requirements from the end, we have to start from the beginning. So, first of all, responsibility and omissions are important, that is, to determine exactly who is responsible and for what. Only after that responsibility can we start changing as a society," Ivanovic told the MINA agency.
She emphasized that it is necessary to answer why nothing has been done in two and a half years to prevent the crime in Cetinje from happening again, why what has been done in recent months was not done earlier, and why there are still no answers to the questions that are key to the investigation.
Ivanovic stressed that she will not give up until their demands are fully met.
When asked if they are satisfied with the support they receive from professors and students, Anastasija Martinović replied that the support of the faculty is "the wind at their back" and that they are happy to see more young faces during each blockade and protest.
"That is a success for us, the very fact that we managed to bring together the youth and convey our message to them and make them understand that this is not political, that we are not dividing students, but that we are all fighting together," said Martinović.
Ivanovic pointed out that the number of students who support the "Kamo Śutra" group is not crucial in their fight.
"We do not have information about the exact number of students who support us, but we are pleased with the fact that with every blockade and every new protest we see new young people approaching us and wanting to contribute to this fight," said Ivanovic.
She emphasized that these are not student protests, but protests organized by students and to which everyone is invited.
According to Ivanovic, decisions at the organizational level are made democratically. "There is no leader, just as there is no one behind us."
When asked why there is a lack of broader support from students and society, Martinović said that Montenegro does not have a developed culture of protest and rebellion, especially among young people.
"We know that everything works in our country in such a way that when everything is served in front of you and when you see that it is good, that it is safe and that it is going towards something, then only people will join in," said Martinović.
Ivanovic added that the goal of everything they do, apart from the demands they want to be met, is to send a message to young people that they should not be afraid.
"We also want to send a message to young people that we should not be afraid to go out into the streets and say what bothers us. We want to live in this country and this country remains ours," said Ivanovic.
When asked why there is a dilemma about whether to support students who are fighting for change and a better system, Martinović said that they are aware that some people have prejudices.
"We are struggling to justify ourselves and to make it known that no one is behind us. We are aware that people have some stigmas, that they think we are pawns of a political party, that they are trying to use us to either return to power or change something. That is total nonsense, a total lie," said Martinović.
Ivanovic emphasized that the key reason for the lack of broader support for students is that people are used to political parties "using young people as decoration" in political campaigns.
"And now it is somehow presented as impossible that a group of people who think for themselves have gathered. It is impossible for there to be a group of people, students, in Montenegro who have taken to the streets to express a certain dissatisfaction, without any political party standing behind them," Ivanovic said.
Commenting on the criminal complaint filed by the group "Kamo Śutra" against Democratic Montenegro due to allegations of the protest organizers' connections with criminal clans and corruption, Martinović said that with this lawsuit they wanted to put an end to accusations that were not supported by evidence.
Ivanovic said that the lawsuit is also a way to let everyone know that there must be responsibility for the word spoken publicly, especially when it is responded to from certain positions.
Commenting on the protests in Serbia, Martinović said that students in Montenegro and Serbia are unfortunately connected by the tragic events that led to the riots, adding that the rebellion that was launched was not against the government, but against "protecting the seats."
"We cannot understand how one place, one chair, is more important than 23 lives and how an office is more important than responsibility and some moral stance and reflection," Martinović said.
When asked whether they were in contact with colleagues from Serbia and whether they received support from them, Ivanovic said that they were supported by certain representatives of their organizations.
"Of course, they are our role models. They are the example that inspired us. If they hadn't done that, I don't know if we would have been motivated like this and come forward with this desire and strength," said Ivanovic.
When asked whether they plan to expand the protests if the demands are not met, Ivanovic said that civil disobedience will grow stronger if the silence of the competent authorities continues.
"If this silence continues, our civil disobedience can only be stronger, because this is simply not a normal life. And it is not normal that there is no advertising for all this and that there is only silence on the other side," said Ivanovic.
When asked whether a blockade of teaching at faculties is possible as part of future plans, Ivanovic said that they have no plans in that direction for now and that everything will depend on the further course of events, but that she cannot say that anything has been ruled out.
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