Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Human Rights Action (HRA), Antifascists Cetinje, Center for Civic Education (CCE), Center for Democratic Transition (CDT), Association of History Professors of Montenegro (HIPMONT) and civic activists Dina Bajramspahić, Jovana Marović and Marija Backović strongly condemn, as they said, the nationalistic feast glorifying war criminal Pavle Đurišić in the Podgorica restaurant "Radovče".
Supporters of Chetnik ideology, who persistently make efforts to whitewash the dishonorable biography of this Chetnik duke, have created an environment in which groups feel free to celebrate war criminals and sing "Đurišić, young major."
The lack of decisive condemnations by the authorities, for this and all previous cases, only encourages various actors to incite divisions in society in this way, according to the statement signed by the aforementioned NGOs and activists.
It is added that the school restaurant "Radovče", which, as it is pointed out, was a cult place in this city and for 50 years has been part of the memories of many citizens of different national and religious affiliations, should not have allowed itself to be compromised in this way.
"We call on the restaurant management and the director of the Public Institution School for Secondary and Higher Vocational Education 'Sergije Stanić', which owns the restaurant, to apologize to citizens for celebrating collaborators of the fascist occupier on their premises.
"It is the duty of this restaurant, which has an educational character, as well as all educational institutions, to ensure a space in which national and religious intolerance is not incited and hate speech is not spread, and to demonstrate through proactive public relations that everyone is welcome in the restaurant, regardless of any personal characteristics," the statement said.
The signatories believe that no public institution, funded by all citizens, may in any form publicly approve, deny the existence of, or minimize the gravity of the crimes committed by collaborators of the occupiers.
"Therefore, we expect those responsible from the restaurant and the school to make a value judgment about the unfortunate event and initiate changes to the internal procedures governing the organization of celebrations in the restaurant in order to prevent a similar controversial event from happening again."
"We also call on the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to condemn this nationalistic outburst and take supervisory measures to ensure that hate and ethnic cleansing policies are not promoted in facilities belonging to the education sector," the statement concludes.
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