On the occasion of the current events related to the adoption of the Law on Freedom of Religion and the protests organized by the Serbian Orthodox Church, part of the former members of the Movement for an Independent European Montenegro are addressing the Montenegrin public with a public response.
We transmit the reaction in its entirety.
"Montenegro renewed its statehood less than fourteen years ago and at the same time decided to tie its destiny to European and Euro-Atlantic integration. With these historic and visionary decisions, confirmed in the state-forming Constitution, Montenegro was constituted as a civil and democratic political community. And today this is the only political choice that provides security to our citizens and gives them the chance to create a just and legal state, a free and socially balanced society, a market and productive economy. .
Today, we can only be partially satisfied with the achieved results. The government undoubtedly bears the decisive responsibility for the limited scope of internal policies. More devastating is the fact that the alternative to the government is the opposition under the leadership of the Serbian dioceses in Montenegro. Instead of the action of a strong patriotic and Euro-Atlantic opposition, which would ensure progressive democracy while preserving the stability and prosperity of Montenegro, today the dominant part of the opposition is based on the ideas of the negation of Montenegro and its pro-Western path. However, the greatest scope of such opposition remains to serve anti-Montenegrin and foreign interests.
By adopting the late Law on Freedom of Religion, the Parliament regulated the legal position of religious communities in accordance with modern European standards. Finally, the question of the usurpation of Montenegrin churches and monasteries by the SPC was opened. That is why these days we are witnessing an anti-state street march masked in the guise of the so-called prayer and liturgy, which, without any Montenegrin state symbol, with strong propaganda support from Serbia and with the behind-the-scenes presence of Moscow, organize the Greater Serbian dioceses in Montenegro on the ground, headed by the staff bishop Amfilohi.
At the same time, the SPC forgot that its anti-Montenegro and Svetosava-nationalist mission was ignored for too long. We remind you that this same church destroyed the ancient tumulus on the top of Rumija and illegally erected a metal church from discord in the same place, just as it illegally built a baptistery on the seashore. At the same time, it has been devastating and falsifying Orthodox sacred and cultural heritage for decades, such as the Montenegrin sanctuary of the Ostrog Monastery. And at the same time, he acts with impunity outside the legal and tax system of Montenegro in a way that no country in the world would tolerate. Additionally, all these unacceptable activities only confirm the need for the existence of an autocephalous Montenegrin Orthodox Church.
In the post-Yugoslav period, Montenegro withstood considerably stronger attacks than the current populist hysteria, so it will withstand the current Great Serbian attack as well. However, this attack will soon backfire, but it will undoubtedly contribute to the unraveling of the Montenegrin political scene. The government has the opportunity to face the fruits of its wrong work and to recognize its false supporters and silent calculators, while the opposition will be clearly divided into a pro-European and state-building minority and the part that is jointly managed by Amfilohije and official Belgrade.
That is why this clerical-nationalist campaign is a major incentive for the revival of progressive and pro-European political and social ideas on which our country was rebuilt. This is an opportunity to regenerate and reform the state-building political forces, while rejecting bad policies and discredited personnel. The strengthening of pro-European, civil and multi-ethnic politics should be confirmed in the upcoming elections, where the Great Serbian parties should be decisively defeated and at the same time the SPC should be brought "to a better knowledge of rights". It is a pledge of the European future of Montenegro and a strong contribution to the victory of peaceful, civil and democratic politics in the Balkans.
The reaction was supported by the following former members of the Movement:
Members of the executive body of the Movement: Branko Lukovac, Rade Bojović, Branko Baletić, Nebojša Vučinić, Milan Marković, Šerbo Rastoder, Marko Špadijer, Darko Šuković.
Municipal coordinators of the Movement: Špiro Niković, Ferid Šarkinović, Veselin Popović, Muhamed Spuža, Zdenka Grbavčević, Dušan Simonović, Vlastimir Perović, Milan Obradović, Vuk Roćen, Svetozar Cerović, Marijan Mašo Miljić.
Members of the Movement Council: Novak Adžić, Branko Banjević, Čedomir Bogićević, Miodrag-Bole Bošković, Petar Bokan, Jevrem Brković, Nebojša Burzanović, Milovan Đuričković, Zuvdija Hodžić, Ratko Ivanović, Milorad Jovanović, Anđe Kapičić, Petar Kapisoda, Novak Kilibarda, Avdul Kurpejović . Vujošević, Miodrag Vuković", concludes the response.
Bonus video:
