"26 years ago, the Montenegrin rifles from the "night of fraternal carnage" thundered on the walls of Dubrovnik.

"A free society will not be established in Montenegro, nor will democracy and especially tolerance take root, until the internal dialogue about the past is strengthened"
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Dubrovnik in flames, Photo: Stock
Dubrovnik in flames, Photo: Stock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 05.12.2017. 10:56h

26 years ago, the fiercest attack was made on Dubrovnik, an ancient city and a pearl of Croatian, Mediterranean and world cultural heritage, according to the statement signed by Žarko Rakčević, Rifat Rastoder, Džemal Perović, Sead Sadiković, Balša Brković, Branislav Radulović, Veseljko Koprivica, Aleksandar Saša Zeković, Ljiljana Raičević and Boris Raonic. "In neighboring Croatia, December 6 is celebrated as Dubrovnik Veterans Day. In Montenegro, there is mostly silence about everything that has to do with the Dubrovnik battlefield, the destruction of that city, the suffering of its inhabitants, the looting of both public and private property. the lives of Montenegrin citizens who found themselves in the military campaign against Dubrovnik thanks to the ruling policy and manipulations of the political elite at the time. 26 years ago, Montenegrin rifles thundered on Dubrovnik's walls from the "night of fraternal bloodshed", the statement points out.

The statement says that the price of the illusion that one brother can be helped by shooting other brothers is still being paid by all of us, except those who put those guns in people's hands. "Our advertising is not only a reminder and nurturing of the collective memory of the painful time of suffering and crime, but also serves the function of reaffirming the confrontation with the past. We perceive this process as crucial for the truth, the satisfaction of the victims and the recovery of the whole society. We register a considerable decline in the public's interest in the topics and contents of confrontation with the past, although the process has only partially taken root in Montenegro. The reason for this, again, is the current ignoring and manipulation of the political elite towards intellectual, cultural, academic and activist groups, especially through the spread of clientelism, pragmatism and the idea that (exclusively) the future is important. How much that process can be useful is confirmed by the threatened internal cohesion and integration processes of Montenegrin society. And only certain elements and contents of dealing with the past have been realized, namely those that include reparations (individual requests and processes are still ongoing even though 26 years have passed), several legally convicted persons (because of their behavior in a kind of camp, on the territory of Montenegro, for disciplining the people of Dubrovnik), as well as a symbolic act of regret (not a clear apology). In fact, only what was allowed was implemented, i.e., strictly "controlled" and "dosed" justice took place and is still taking place," the statement pointed out. The statement goes on to say that the current approach to dealing with the past, which implies shy, the modest and vague acknowledgment of war-mongering-profiteering politics, injustices and crimes actually relativizes the facts of the past, reinforces the abdication of responsibility, strengthening collective amnesia and the strategy that the best option is to consign everything to oblivion and surrender to the charms of the party state, privatization and welcoming strategic investors. "A free society will not be established in Montenegro, nor will democracy and especially tolerance truly take root, until the internal dialogue about the past is strengthened and current and future generations are not officially taught about Montenegrin campaigns towards their neighbors and towards their own diversity. "Something that is now present in the public discourse, including the textbook policy, is extremely superficial, timid, and the current circumstances, in politics and society, say that it has no long-term effect and the real building of peace, respect and togetherness," says the address to the public. of the signatory of the statement. "New generations are coming up. "We are all under siege in these dark days", as it was 26 years ago", states the statement, which emphasizes that because of these new generations, we must reaffirm the confrontation with the past and only thus, with the facts and the recognition of the responsibility of the political elite of the time, weave the truth about the injustices and crimes committed in our name into our collective consciousness.

"Only in this way is it possible to fully understand and overcome, due to wiser behavior in the future, the Montenegrin destruction and traumas that at that time were most evident through the war campaign on Dubrovnik, the deportation of refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the persecution of dissidents in their internal, political and ethnic" the battlefield", where the "Bukovica" case dominates. Otherwise, we will not have the right to stand up when patriotism starts to be expressed with hatred again", it is said at the end of the announcement.

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