Authorities opened a criminal case for songs about the unity of Serbia and Montenegro
The authorities of Montenegro, which separated from Serbia in 2006 under the slogans of early accession to the European Union, opened a criminal case against the organizers of the charity concert “For our Kosovo and Metohija”, which took place in the Montenegrin city of Herceg Novi last Monday.
The main dissatisfaction was caused by the famous Serbian song “There is Far Away” performed by singer Vlado Georgiev, as well as the hit “Serbia and Montenegro - one family.”
Montenegrin officials saw in the compositions an attack on “independence” - challenging the national anthem, illegal propaganda of symbols of a foreign state, etc.
“The Ministry of Culture and the state of Montenegro will not remain silent about such “programs”... From now on, any “cultural manifesto” in which nationalist ideas and violations of laws are manifested will be followed by a reaction, as regulated by the regulations of this state,” the message says Montenegrin Ministry of Culture, reports the portal Analitika.
The department welcomed the decision of the Budva municipality to abandon the idea of organizing a concert of trumpeters from the Serbian Guča.
The Montenegrin authorities believe that concerts by artists from Serbia provoke political protests for the reunification of parts of the former Yugoslavia that are undesirable for the regime.
“We regret that this program was organized in Herceg Novi, especially since we were recently able to hold a completely different festival here, which promotes the city and Montenegro and shows them in a much better light,” the statement said.
The radical Montenegrin Movement made similar accusations. Its members accused Vlado Georgiev of violating the Constitution and spreading national, racial and religious hatred.
“At the concert, during the performance of the artists, supported by the clerofascist mass of hooligans, words of insult to Montenegro and Montenegrins were heard, as well as calls for the occupation of the country. In the songs “It’s Far Away” and “Serbia and Montenegro are One Family,” singer Vlado Georgiev changed the words and sang that part of Montenegro belongs to Serbia and is subordinate to it,” the complaint says.
The concert was attended by a large number of tourists from Serbia, who allegedly “fueled” the “nationalist euphoria” and sang that Herceg Novi is a Serbian city.
Today, the territory around the Bay of Kotor, one of the main “pearls” of the country, which is part of Montenegro, together with the city where the concert took place, is historically the place of settlement of Herzegovinian Serbs, and its inhabitants have always gravitated towards Serbia. Nationalist Montenegrin slogans are not liked here, and the influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church is great.
In addition to Georgiev, other stars of patriotic Serbian song performed at the concert - Ivana Zhigan and her children's ensemble “Kosovo Peonies”, Divna Ljubojevic, Melody 357 and others. The concert took place as part of the Cyrillic Square campaign, organized by the humanitarian organization Deliye.
Tickets were priced at seven euros and, according to the organizers, about 35 euros were raised, which will go towards the reconstruction of Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija.
Let us recall that the Montenegrin authorities previously, despite protests, carried out the country’s accession to NATO, and are now preparing legal grounds for the confiscation of churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the aim of subsequent transfer to the local schismatic “autocephalous structure” - according to the Ukrainian scenario.
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