February 17, 2019 - On th second civic protest under the slogan "97,000 Odupri Se" (97,000 Resist), several thousand people gathered in Podgorica on Saturday, 16 February, and urged the resignations of President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic, the Special State Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic and Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption Sreten Radonjic.
"The main cause for organized crime is the loud silence of state institutions on the occasion of the current scandal - the "Koverta" affair, which represents the paradigm of the situation in our society, which is only one of many that shake Montenegro," the organizers of the protest said.
In front of the building of the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office and the Special State Prosecutor's Office, thousands of gathered citizens responded to the organizer's appeal and did not emphasize any national and party features. Instead, they carried the transparencies "We are a state," "Without freedom, there is no state," "Freedom to the people - stop crime," "Milo, does your family know you are a starlet?", "Bunt”...
Before the start of the protest, there was a minute of silence, followed by a whirling siren, which has been posted to all victims of the regime for the past 30 years. The actor Slavisa Grubisa as a free citizen said that "our freedom has no price and not being sold in the envelopes."
"We demand that the Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic, Special State Prosecutor Milivoje Katnić and Agency for Prevention of Corruption Director Sreten Radnjić urgently resign. We demand the resignation of Prime Minister Dusko Markovic and President of the State Milo Djukanovic," Grubisa submitted initial protest requests.
Citizens embarked on a protest walk from the Supreme State Prosecutor's Office and then continued to institutions, to which the protest addressed - the buildings of the Central Bank of Montenegro, the Assembly, the President and the Central Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS). During the protest walks, citizens screamed "Milo, Thief," "Everyone on the Street," "DPS Thieves," "Resignations," "Milo, Liar," "We Want Justice," "Rise, People, Street of Liberty."
Former Liberal Alliance officer Dzemal Perovic said there was no "healthy tissue" in the government, claiming that the only healthy tissue in the Montenegrin society was in protest.
"Is it necessary to explain here tonight why we should resist? Do we have to say that they came as hooligans of a policy, led Montenegro into war, committed war crimes, smuggling, robbery privatization and all that we know in these 30 years," Perovic said.
He told the government representatives to "hate their bests" as they robbed us, cheat, sell and buy and "what's the most hurt, present us in the world."
"It is important to say Europe feels this shame, to know that normal people live here. We do not expect them to exploit European values. We have those values; we are demonstrating them here tonight. We are fighting for human rights, freedom, security, and dignity. From today, we are committed as Europe's partners," Perovic said, calling for unity:" Since we have set ourselves this magnificent goal, to free Montenegro from them (the ruling DPS and partner parties) and begin to root the system change, there is no difference between us tonight, or in the next gatherings. There are differences, we will articulate them when we build democratic institutions of the systems, which are not in Montenegro," said Dzemal Perovic, one of the members of the Organizing Committee.
One of the organizers of the protest, Jovan Gajevic, addressing the participants in front of the President's office, said: "It is time to act."
"We're normal, not them. It's the government who have no sense of responsibility and public interest, not us. They are who have no idea what they are doing, not us. They are those who lie, cheat and scorn themselves and the country they are kneeling, not us. They are the ones who steal us, not us, "Gajevic said. “They deserve to disappear from our public life," he said.
The protest walk continued to the DPS Headquarters in the Jovan Tomasevic Street. Miloš Krivokapić stated “We have to fight for freedom because we have a feudal system in the face. We are fighting for achievements the French bourgeois revolution in 1789."
"Have you forgotten that Svetozar Marovic has admitted that he is the leader of a criminal organization, and is now "under treatments" in Belgrade cafes? Crash in Montenegro is the best remedy for a guilty plea. Is that a proof that the reality of the wrongs is understandable and that the judiciary is going to fall?" Krivokapic said.
He pointed out that there are over 700 employees in RTCG, Railways, hundreds of employees at the Central Bank, Waterworks, Cleaners, Airports of Montenegro, Electricity Services ... Krivokapic emphasized that there were more than 97,000 reasons why power has to go and why a fundamental change of system is needed, with the change of government.
The protest march went back to the prosecutor's office via the Millennium Bridge.
After returning to the Prosecutor's Office, Denis Mekic said the regime led to the collapse of northern Montenegro, whereby DPS "satellites" - representatives of the Bosniak Party and other "satellite parties" helped them.
"Let's not forget why we do this. Today there are 10,000 citizens here. We will be persistent. As long as necessary, we will return to our Street of Freedom," Mekić said.
"We call on citizens and all progressive forces of society to actively engage in formulating and designing specific demands and actions to root the changes of the system. We are investigating the achievement of our goal, all available forms of nonviolence and civil disobedience," one of the organizers, actor Slavisa Grubisa, said.
The protest has gone smoothly and in a positive atmosphere. The organizers announced the demonstration every Saturday until meeting the requirements.
