Condemnations of right-wingers' attack on bakery owner in Belgrade

BELGRADE, (Patria) - The Coalition of NGOs "Građanska Vojvodina", the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, and several political parties have most strongly condemned yesterday's gathering and the behaviour of right-wingers in front of the "Roma" bakery in Borča, whose owner is of Albanian nationality, and demanded an immediate reaction from the authorities.

Several dozen right-wingers gathered in broad daylight in front of the "Roma" bakery in the Belgrade settlement of Borča, carrying Serbian flags and chanting slogans about Kosovo, and placed pig heads on the bakery owner's car and plastered it with posters. This happened because an employee of the establishment posted a photo from 2017 on Facebook showing the double-headed eagle, the national symbol of Albanians, with his hands. The bakery owner, incidentally, distanced himself from his employee's post, stating that he is not involved in politics.

The Coalition of NGOs "Građanska Vojvodina" condemned the "nationalist rampage of right-wingers in front of the bakery" and called on the public to actively react to such attacks in order to stop the escalation of conflict in society.

"Unfortunately, this is no longer an isolated incident of extremists in Serbia, but just one in a series of nationalist attacks that are a consequence of the dominance of hate speech in our public space, in our media and on our political scene, as well as the silence of institutions," the statement reads.

"Građanska Vojvodina" stated that the inaction of state bodies is "shameful" and dangerous, as well as the lack of reaction from citizens to such a "shameless attack on our fellow citizens" who received no support when they were targeted by extremists.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Nebojša Stefanović, stated today that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had promptly informed the competent prosecutor's office about everything, which instructed them to submit a report.

"Građanska Vojvodina" also stated that the citizens of Serbia must not remain silent about the "fascisation of society" which definitively threatens the freedoms and rights of all citizens of Serbia who are not to the liking of those who advocate the ideology of blood and soil, and who seem to be above the law in this country, and precisely because those who confidently threaten dissenters and count others' bloodlines are protected, no one in this country is safe anymore today.

"If we do not fight for democratic institutions, the rule of law, and free media, it will mean that we agree to have our lives governed by those who divide this society into the compliant and the traitors, those who humiliate institutions, those who do not recognize the separation of powers, those who suppress free media and threaten professional journalists, those who do not accept different opinions," the coalition concluded in its statement, with the message that "there will be no place for citizens in such a society."

"Građanska Vojvodina" consists of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina, the Center for Regionalism, Civic Action Pančevo, the Vojvodina Green Network, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, the Center for Intercultural Communication, the Vojvodina Civic Center, and the Subotica Center for Civic Values.

Youth Initiative: Nogo and representatives of Levijatan among those present

The Youth Initiative for Human Rights most strongly condemns the violence and threats of lynching against the employees and owner of the "Roma" bakery, which, as they stated, was under siege by hooligans on Saturday who threatened to close the bakery with chauvinistic shouts and songs, and the culmination of the maltreatment was the pig heads left in front of the bakery.

To prevent such attacks from happening again, we demand an immediate reaction from the prosecutor's office against the hooligans who tried to completely prevent the operation of the "Roma" bakery yesterday and threaten to occupy it again if it resumes operations, the statement reads.

"The policy of impunity towards thugs who obstruct the freedoms and rights of citizens can be stopped by a timely reaction from the prosecutor's office, the police, and the courts. It is important to note that the persons present were representatives of the organization Levijatan, as well as Member of Parliament Srđan Nogo, who are known for threatening and targeting political opponents," the Youth Initiative stated.

The Initiative called on all those who care about equality in Serbia to find a way to help this bakery resume its operations, especially considering that the "Roma" bakery is recognized in the local community for its charity and humanitarian work towards vulnerable groups.

We demand that all political parties take a stance on the violence against the "Roma" bakery without standard relativizations, and that the executive authorities show that "ethnic demarcation" in the neighborhood, i.e., in Borča, does not represent the official policy of Serbia and that such behavior will not be tolerated or ignored, the Initiative's statement reads.

Condemnations from some parties

The reaction of the right-wingers was also condemned by some parties yesterday and today, demanding that the authorities react promptly.

The Democratic Party (DS) assessed that it was intimidation and encouragement of lynching and "disgusting and dangerous incitement of hatred." "The silence of the highest state officials and authorities encourages thugs and, more dangerously, sends an unacceptable message that national intolerance and hatred are acceptable," the DS statement reads.

The Freedom of Citizens Movement (PSG) called on the competent authorities to react immediately due to hate speech and the endangerment of the safety of members of the Albanian national minority. The PSG stated in its announcement that endangering safety is unacceptable in a society that Serbia should become.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) stated in its announcement that the action of an unknown group of people, during which hatred was spread towards our fellow citizens of Albanian nationality, represents a scandal and a serious call for the authorities to react. Preventing someone from moving freely, destroying their private property, and threatening them solely because they are of a different nationality cannot be ignored, the statement reads. The identification of individuals from the gathering in Borča, the protection of threatened people, and public support from the Prime Minister of this country, the President, and the Mayor of Belgrade are necessary, the LDP stated.

The New Party (Nova stranka) most strongly condemned the "heinous attack and barbaric lynching," demanding an immediate reaction from the police and the prosecutor's office. "What extremists and fascists call a 'protest' and 'patriotism' is actually fanning national hatred and intolerance and a threat of lynching that requires immediate condemnation from the public, and above all, from the competent authorities," the statement from the New Party reads.