Dear colleagues,
On 10th of July, from 19.30 to 20.30 on the central Republic square, Women in Black held the performance ` Not to forget Srebrenica’s Genocide’ on the 14th anniversary of the genocide. Clero – nationalist and fascistic groups such as ` Honour ` and ` Serbian national movement 1389 `- held a protest simultaneously with Women in Black in Republic Square, however the official time allotted to these groups had expired before our arrival. As usual, our vigils are in silence and we are in black on the occasions of commemorations, like this one was. On this day, 10th July, we stood silently, holding white roses in our hands, on the floor in front of us there was a long vinyl banner with eight thousand white roses stamped on it, sending messages to all passersby and to public opinion, that all the victims are the same for us; on three sides of the banner we had written words such as – We remember, responsibility, solidarity. We also had, as usual our banners with different content. The police stood in the middle between us and them. The leader of `Honour`, Mladen Obradovic gave a statement to local media. They held in their hands large photos of Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić and the Russian dictator and killer Putin. They were calling us names, insulting us in different ways: `Black whores`, `Whores, dreg, may Soros fuck you`, `Ustas’ whores`, `Albanian whores`, `Out of Serbia`, `May Naser Orić fuck you`, `Kill, kill homos`, `Put those roses in your ass`, `Serbia to Serbs, get out Turks`, `Where are your witches: Biserko, Vučo, Kandić`, `We wont give you Mladić but will give you Tadić`, `Russia and Serbia, Orthodox Unia`, `Serbian Serbia, Kosovo and Metohia` , `Homo freacks`, `Come to us without police`, `Go to Kravica`, `Go to Bratunac`, `Rasim Turk suck the cock`, `You took our apartments that`s why we are on the streets`, `Who pays you`, `If the general is arrested we`ll take guns and kill you all`, `Where is Kandić – do you have kids whore`, `We wish you never to take off black robes`, `We are going never to come back` ( hymn of Unit for special operations), ` Honour, Serbia, Kosovo and Metohia`, `Federation go – fuck you, Srpska can live without you`, `Bullet in your heads`, `Srpska and Serbia, united as state`, `You have polluted this square, we`ll have to wash it with forcing pumps`, `Every Turk knows, every Turkish woman as well, that Obilić slayed Murat`, `You whores and junkies, how much they pay you for this`, `Did anybody of your families got killed in Bosnia`, 'Witches you`re laying`, `You are the garbage of Serbia`, `Throw bombs četniks`, `From Topola to Ravna Gora` ( četnik `s hymn ), `Get ready četniks`, `Let DOS pussies know that if they arrest the general, all the Serbs will take guns and kill you all’, etc. The police squad followed us to our office; it looked as though we were the danger to public peace and order, as though the police protected them from us and not vice versa,or as we are two extrems from which they protect Serbia. Or Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted to show to International community, that it is capable of controlling both sides. We had our sisters with us from the international WIB network (Israel, Spain, Italy, USA, India) and from our regional network ( B and H ) and all over Serbia. They were here also to attend the Conference on `Transitional justice – feminist approach`, which we organized those days as well. That is why this report of ours is late a bit. But we had a lot to do in advance and after the Conference. Still, the question remains, why did police, who have been more supportive and cooperative then ever, let them continue with their protest if their allotted time had expired? Especially given that we are always warned early to end our protests and vigils on time.
