Political infighting within the ruling majority, 54 detained people, and the entry of construction machinery onto a plot of land in Botun - these are the epilogues of an almost two-month-long protest by Zeta residents against the construction of a wastewater treatment plant.
While the police were "clearing" the area to allow construction to begin in that area, DNP MP Milan Knezevic announced his departure from the "bloody government", and the speaker of the state parliament Andrija Mandic (Nova) stated that yesterday's action against the people of Botunja threatened peace in Montenegro.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic (PES), however, assessed that everything was done in a civilized manner and said that this was "the European path that Montenegro should strive for."
All detained citizens were released after giving statements.
DNP officials, including the Minister of Transport, had previously inquired about their status at the police building. Maja Vukićević.
She did not respond to Vijesti's questions about how to comment on the fact that locals blocked the Podgorica-Bar railway and the road leading to the airport.
Start of action
The citizens of Botuni began gathering on Monday evening, after a "tip" that on December 30th, the Podgorica Municipal Police would attempt to clear the plot where tents had been set up since November 14th...
Around midnight, there were hundreds of them, and even then, in front of reporters, they were discussing the scenarios that came true yesterday - the blockade of roads and railways, but also the difficult passage to the airport.
Municipal police officers, director of the Podgorica company "Waterworks and Sewerage" Aleksandar Nišavić with machines and accompanied by the Ambulance and Protection and Rescue Service, they arrived in Botun at 3:55 a.m. to introduce the contractor to the work of building the plant.
The locals opposed them, not even allowing them to enter the plot.
According to information from that institution, colleagues from the Municipal Police contacted the police on duty at 4:08 a.m. and verbally requested assistance from the Police Directorate.
"The police officers simultaneously requested evidence from the Municipal Police that they had taken measures and actions within their jurisdiction, applied their legal powers, including means of coercion that include physical force, spray with irritating effects and other means of coercion prescribed by law, as well as to submit evidence that in the application of these powers they had tried to create conditions for the performance of the works. Taking into account that the Municipal Police officers continued to take measures and actions within their jurisdiction and powers prescribed by law, at 6:07 a.m. the Duty Service of the Podgorica Security Department was informed by the Municipal Police officers that their colleague P. Đ. "... was prevented and injured during the action... Taking into account the newly created circumstances and the fulfillment of the legal requirements from Article 34 of the Law on Internal Affairs, police officers were sent to the scene at around 6:30, or two and a half hours after the arrival of the Municipal Police, to assist the Municipal Police in the execution," the UP statement states.
"Ornate wedding guests..."
A group of locals, led by Knežević and Zeta Mayor Mihailo Asanović, used their bodies to prevent municipal police officers from entering the future construction site, surrounded by a metal fence and private cars, for about half an hour.
At around 6am, tensions rose sharply when municipal police officers and Nišavić attempted to enter the plot through a closed gate about a hundred metres away, blocked by two cars. Some of the protesters ran up from the inside and blocked their entry, insulting and threatening Nišavić and some municipal police officers. One of them even used pepper spray, and the other was reportedly injured, as was heard over the radio. The protesters accused Nišavić and the municipal police officers of staging the incident in order to get police assistance.
The arrival of the police at around 6:30 was greeted by the crowd with the song "Welcome, decorated wedding guests", which was repeatedly interrupted by the commander's orders to the citizens to leave the location.
After lengthy negotiations between MP Knežević and the police, he announced to them that the locals would offer passive resistance and would not move even a millimeter.
Then most of the locals sat on the ground, the police issued a final warning - to leave the location in five minutes.
"I ask you to have enough awareness, you mentioned children, women, elderly people, these are categories of people that we should be considerate of. And that is why we bear the weight of the decisions, both you as a representative of the locals and me as the manager of the employees engaged here. To resolve this in a civilized way, and that is to not offer any resistance. You mentioned passive resistance. And to let us enter the property and bring in the contractor," said the director of Vodovod, addressing Knežević.
The latter replied that they couldn't do that.
"We will not offer any resistance. We will lie on Zeta land, and you carry us in police cars. And I offer you a gentleman's proposal, arrest only me, and leave these people alone," said the MP.
At that, those gathered around him began to shout: "Everyone! Everyone!"...
One of the commanders then instructs his colleagues to use pepper spray only if he issues such an order: “And only short sprays, targeted, it’s cold.” The crowd chants against Alekse Bečić (Democrats), and Asanović He also accuses Mandić of treason.
Several hundred police officers then "closed" the area and surrounded the approximately one hundred gathered locals.
While the locals sing the anthem, the police begin making arrests - some go to the police cars themselves, others are taken...
Around 9 a.m. the action is coming to an end, and Knežević is lying on the ground with four women. After the police inform him that the action is over and that "they will not touch the MP or the women," he says that it is not over and that he will get into the police car with the other Botunji residents.
"You're not finished, by God's grace, we're going with our Botunjans," he said and left in the "marica".
An unmarked “spider” removes a car parked at the entrance to the plot, allowing machinery access to the future construction site...
The police then disperse, leaving private security at the entrance.
Knežević got out of the "minivan" a few hours later.
During the intervention of the municipal workers and the police, only one person, a member of the Podgorica service, requested help from the emergency team, "due to exhaustion," a source told "Vijesti." After the "clash" at the gate of the plot, it was heard over the radio that a municipal police officer had been injured and taken to the Emergency Center.
Drawing a target and “Bečić, betrayal”
Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Defense, Fight against Crime and Internal Policy Aleksa Bečić said yesterday that he had no contact with the operational actions of the police.
"I understand the political attempts to target my little one. It's not the first time and the motives are clear to me. Aleksa Bečić absolutely, in accordance with the Law, has no contact whatsoever with the operational actions of the police and anything to the contrary is strictly prohibited. The police are, in accordance with the Law, operationally independent in their work and actions and make operational decisions absolutely independently, assessing the fulfillment of legal requirements," he said.
The residents of Botuni, who oppose the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Bečići, chanted: "Bečići, traitor" due to the police intervention.
The president of the Zeta branch of the New Serbian Democracy, Miroslav Brajović, thanked "our respected, great Zeta resident", Bečić, during a traffic barricade in Zeta.
“One piece of advice to Mr. Spajić - keep Mr. Bečić by your side. If he did what he did to the people of Zeća, then you have no better man for these kinds of things, for harassing and arresting people, than Mr. Bečić.”
"In this specific case, as we can see, the request for assistance came from members of the Municipal Police in the Capital City, led by respected colleagues who were on the electoral list of the coalition whose constituents are opponents of the construction of the project in Botun. And when in January they chanted some other 'murderer' at the protests led by Aco Mijajlović, now, and always, what I insist on is to show maximum tolerance towards citizens, so that challenging situations can be resolved with maximum tolerance. That is why it is good that members of the Internal Control are also present on site in order to adequately assess the legality of the actions of each police officer," Bečić announced.
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Barricades continue today: 300 of us will be arrested, another 300 will come
Citizens of Zeta blocked the roundabout towards Podgorica Airport, as well as almost all local roads towards Tuzi and Podgorica, since eight o'clock yesterday morning.
The Bar - Podgorica railway line was also blocked for some time in the town of Bistrice, causing a halt in train traffic. According to unofficial information, the railway line was unblocked, allegedly after police intervention.
Although they lit a campfire around 15 p.m., the citizens of Zeta dispersed less than an hour later - after talks with DNP leader Milan Knežević, and for the health of the elderly, women and children who were protesting. The agreement is that the traffic blockade will continue today, from 10 a.m.
Citizens of Zeta who blocked the roundabout towards the airport said they were determined to persist until the machines were removed from the lot.
"Let them arrest us, they will arrest 300, another 300 will come," said one of them.
The president of the Zeta branch of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) Miroslav Brajović announced yesterday "that all traffic in Zeta will soon be blocked."
"Such torture in the 21st century is unprecedented in Montenegro. This injustice has brought us together here," said Brajović.
He said that the executive branch is silent, instead of organizing a meeting with Zeta representatives.
Late yesterday afternoon, the people of Zeća lit a campfire, repeating that they would be there until the machines were withdrawn from Botun.
DNP officials voted three times in favor of building the plant
MPs and councilors of the Democratic People's Party (DNP), led by Milan Knežević, have voted three times in the past seven months to build a wastewater treatment plant near the village of Botun.
On June 12, members of the Government from that party did not vote for the proposal for the new Spatial Plan of Montenegro, which envisages the construction of a facility at this location.
The Assembly adopted the same Spatial Plan on June 26 with 42 votes in favor, while the minimum required majority was 41. Three MPs from Milan Knežević's party voted for this Plan - Jelena Kljajević, Dragan Bojović and Vladislav Bojović, while Milan Knežević was not in the hall.
It was these three MPs who enabled the majority to vote for this Plan and thus enable the completion of the procedures for the documentation required for the construction of the treatment plant near Botun.
Based on that plan, the Government, together with members from Knežević's party, adopted the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Capital City, which encompasses the entire area of the former municipality of Podgorica and provides in detail for the construction of a facility at this location near Botun.
Officials from Knežević's party supported its construction for the third time, when on December 24 they voted for the Capital City Budget, which envisages allocating 17 million euros for the construction of the facility near Botun in 2026.
The budget was adopted with 31 votes, while the minimum majority was 30 votes.
It was the councilor from Knežević's party who enabled the adoption of the budget and the provision of money for the construction of this facility.
In this way, Milan Knežević's party made the key and most important contribution to the start of construction of this facility, which is important for environmental preservation and reducing pollution of the Morača River and Lake Skadar, yesterday.
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Bonus video:
