Participants in the "Regional Peaceful Protest in Solidarity with the People of Palestine" called on the institutions of Montenegro to "take concrete and responsible action" by introducing an arms embargo, ceasing all forms of cooperation with Israel, adopting a clear resolution in the Parliament of Montenegro, and organizing humanitarian aid for Gaza.
The rally in Podgorica was organized by the Movement of Solidarity with Palestine of Montenegro. Several hundred citizens participated in the protest, and there were flags of Palestine, Montenegro and banners.
Transportation was organized from the municipalities of Nikšić, Rožaje, Plav, Gusinje and Ulcinj.
The protest began with a gathering at the mural of Palestinian children on Mitra Bakić Boulevard, near the main bus station. The protesters then set off on a peace march through the streets of Podgorica to the Parliament of Montenegro.
During the gathering and walk, chants of "Free Palestine", "Justice, Peace, Freedom for Palestine" and "E viva Palestine" were heard.
They gathered through Slobode Street and Bokeška Street and reached the Government of Montenegro building, where whistles were heard.
One of the protest organizers, Denis Mekić, repeated their previously announced demands and called on Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to fulfill them.
Protesters then stopped in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, where whistles were heard in memory of the late Minister Ervin Ibrahimović.
Mekić pointed out in front of the ministry building that "silence means complicity."
He also said that those gathered were demanding concrete measures against, as he called, Israeli crimes and genocide.
In front of the Montenegrin presidential building, Mekić said that Montenegro, "all in one" demands a cessation of cooperation with Israel.
In front of the Parliament building, Mekić reminded them to put the resolution on the crimes in Gaza into procedure.
"This house should protect international law and respect all the conventions to which Montenegro and the sovereignty of its citizens have committed themselves and to which it has committed itself. For months and months, the citizens of Montenegro have been demanding that you put this resolution into procedure. With your silence, you are clearly and openly siding with criminals for the sake of your particular and political trades. Montenegro and its citizens have always been on the side of anti-Shazars and the values that our ancestors have preserved for centuries," he said on behalf of the Parliament of Montenegro.
Whistles were also heard at the mention of the president of that institution, Andrija Mandić.
Mandic was told that he had been elected to that position by the people.
"Rest assured, MPs, that your actions on this issue will not be forgotten in the next elections. We call on you to immediately end cooperation with the criminal regime and to immediately introduce a procedure in the parliament to condemn Israel's crimes in Palestine," said Mekić.
The rally continued with a minute of silence for those killed in Gaza.
Kajić: Our politicians choose to remain silent or publicly support the oppressor
Šejla Kajić addressed the gathering on behalf of the Palestine Solidarity Movement.
She pointed out that in addition to forcibly displaced persons and the mass killing of civilians, hunger is being used as a weapon, and the world is silent.
"Let's not forget that the victims are mostly women and children, and children don't know about politics. They don't know about borders, but they are forced to know about hunger and fear. Imagine your child asking: Will we have anything to eat?; Will the mother survive?; When will all this stop? And you don't know what to tell them. This is the reality of thousands of Palestinian parents, we must not allow it to become our normality. Their tears are not of any nation or religion, their tears are the tears of humanity," said Kajić.
She added that while innocent civilians, especially children, pay the highest price, our politicians choose to remain silent or publicly support the oppressor.
"They forget that they are not eternal and that they are not above the people, and the people elect them and the people can replace them. Let it be clearly heard that the views of our politicians are not the views of the Montenegrin people."
Kajić called on institutions to take clear, decisive and responsible measures without delay.
"An arms embargo, a break in institutional cooperation, the adoption of a resolution and urgent aid to Gaza. Montenegro is the cradle of freedom, as proven by the number of people gathered. And therefore, let our vote be a vote for Gaza because their future depends on all of us," she said.
Kankaraš: Israel's genocidal army systematically destroys all reporting capacities
Professor and activist Mato Kankaraš began his address with "my dear comrades" and thanked the gathering for the opportunity to address, as he said, such a magnificent gathering whose basis is an act of civilization.
"... and that is a departure from the politics that are being imposed on us. And that is that genocide is something that we should tolerate, something that is necessary and something that should just pass by itself. We did not gather to show that we are on the right side of history. The time has come to explain to the uninitiated, and there are very few of them in the current circumstances, and to change the reality in which we live because we do not want to accept that we live in a reality where genocide is normality," he said.
Kankaras pointed out that "we are having a genocide on live broadcast," and that it was horrific that 230 journalists were killed in order to, as he said, reduce the flow of information from Gaza.
"We don't know what's going on there exactly because journalists are being systematically destroyed so that the truth doesn't come out. But in addition, we are witnessing horrific images. Even high-profile newspapers, like the New York Times, which has always been on the side of imperialism, are so embarrassed that they had to publish forensic images of children who were shot in the head and body because it can't be explained. But Israel explains that this violence is caused by other violence, and well, it can't be like that," he said.
Kankaras referred to the fact that the number of casualties in Gaza is 64 thousand.
"Imagine someone erasing a city like Nikšić with its entire history as if it never existed, that is a horror in itself and we do not know the true extent of the destruction because the Israeli genocidal army is systematically destroying all reporting capacities. And what is our Parliament and its members doing, like the last cowards they sit and accept bribes from Israel and America, which is the main patron of Israel, without which Israel would not exist," he said.
He pointed out that Israel is not a country that has lost its compass and that the conflict did not begin in 2023, 2018, 2000, nor in the 80s or even the 60s, but even before 48.
Đurković: World officials are turning the casualties in Gaza into numbers and the suffering of the people into the negotiating table
Tamara Đurković, a student at the Faculty of Political Sciences, also addressed the gathering.
"For months now, we have witnessed horrific scenes and faced a range of emotions and tried to find a voice. That is why today we send support. We speak of pain, tears, the tears of mothers and the imprisoned soul. We stand here to show that love and support transcend the boundaries of language, nation and religion. There are not two equal sides in a conflict, we are talking about the systematic destruction of a people," she said.
Đurković said that world officials are turning the casualties in Gaza into numbers and the suffering of the people into the negotiating table.
"Children's smiles cannot be measured in currencies and lives must not be statistics. Our institutions, universities and officials choose silence, turn their heads, close their eyes to what is impossible not to see and extend a hand to those whose hands should not be extended. What they are doing makes them complicit. We have a positive example of Slovenia, small in territory but huge in conscience and morality. They clearly said no to Israeli aggression and occupation and vowed to cooperate. I ask our institutions, if Slovenia could do it, what is stopping Montenegro from doing the same," said Đurković.
Stojanović: We are here to express disgust and anger at the reactions of world leaders
Journalist and activist Radmila Stojanović thanked the Solidarity Movement for, as she said, the chance to express emotions and thoughts for the people of Gaza.
"We are here to express disgust and anger at the reactions of world leaders and the leaders of our country," she said.
She pointed out that judges of international courts are under sanctions because they are "doing their job."
She gave the example of Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories who is banned from entering the United States of America (USA).
"The USA, the only empire in the world out of control with a finger on the nuclear trigger that can destroy life on the planet at any moment. Their president, Trump, in order to achieve his sick plans, to build resorts on the ruins of Gaza's mass graves, he must destroy international law in order to do so."
She added that the European Union (EU) is behind the US in this regard.
"There are some differences between its members, but the most powerful EU country, Germany, exports to Israel 20 percent of the weapons that genocidal Israel uses. That same Germany, shame on it, Palestinian children are paying for their crimes with their lives," said Stojanović.
She also touched on Montenegro and said that its leaders are without integrity, without pride and without vision, adding that "their only way of existence is to bow deeply to their masters."
Pajović: Mixtures of provincial colonial administrators and mixtures of start-up gurus refuse to publicly condemn Israel
Writer, activist and columnist Dušan Pajović was also a speaker.
Pajović recalled the first statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, from three months ago, in which there were 52.950 killed.
"Today, Gaza is a laboratory of death and today Gaza is a mass grave. Not only for Palestinians, but also for the conscience of the so-called Western world. I believe that it is the same with you, I think about it non-stop and in essence I cannot help but think about the bombed humanitarian aid points, the so-called strategic starvation due to which children die of malnutrition, amputations without anesthesia and torture camps. Then I feel hopelessness and hope, but today is one of the rare days that this is not the case. Because I know that I am here with you today and I know that I am with people who are fighting for empathy, solidarity and justice. That is why today I call on you, dear comrades, to take that sadness and transform it into news," said Pajović.
He told the crowd to channel their anger and direct it, "not only towards Israel, not only towards the criminal international community NATO, but also towards our so-called politicians who support it."
"Like these arrogant mixtures of provincial colonial administrators and start-up gurus who serve America. After almost two years of escalating genocidal intentions and genocide, they still refuse to publicly judge Israel and end cooperation with this apartheid regime that is now striving for ultimate extermination. I want us to ask them together today who they are flattering and for whose sake they are keeping quiet about the greatest crime of the 21st century. I know that the nation is very important to them, but I would like to remind them that by some chance the lottery of life has drawn them somewhere else. If only they had been born somewhere else, for example in Gaza, they would not go to lunches with Israeli ambassadors and Israeli officials like Andrija Mandić and Marko Kovačević. They would not collect per diems for business lunches they schedule with them, they would not come in state cars that we pay for, but they would live a completely different life," said Pajović.
The gathering ended with the song "Just so there is no war".
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