By: G. B.
It seems the rule holds true that, in doubtful cases of social conflicts, those who most eagerly get involved are usually the ones with a guilty conscience. This is also happening in the case of Serbia.
Slovenian MEP Irena Joveva (Renew/Svoboda), together with her Austrian party colleague Helmut Brandstätter, has nominated Serbian students and protesters for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, her office announced yesterday. In their view, awarding the prize to the students would at least partly restore the Serbian public’s trust in the EU. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded annually by the EU since 1988 to individuals or organisations for work in the field of human rights.
Why such a proposal?
The two MEPs decided to nominate the protesters, calling on their colleagues in the European Parliament to support the initiative in writing, because of the “courageous and unwavering commitment of Serbian protesters to democratic values, especially in the face of increasing violence, sharp suppression of media freedom, and systematic restrictions of fundamental rights carried out by the Serbian authorities.” They also strongly condemned the “brutal violence and excessive use of force by Aleksandar Vučić’s regime against peaceful protesters.” According to them, such acts further undermine the rule of law and fundamental democratic principles, distancing Serbia from a future within the EU, the statement reads.
“Serbian students leading the current protests embody the very spirit of the Sakharov Prize. They fearlessly demand a free and democratic Serbia in line with the EU’s fundamental values, such as human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law,” the MEPs said. They also called on the European Commission and member states to use all legal means to pressure the Serbian authorities into respecting the rule of law. Awarding the prize to the protesters, they argued, would not only recognise their key role in Serbia’s European future but also at least partly restore the Serbian public’s trust in the EU’s integrity, STA reports.
Mass anti-government protests led by students in Serbia began after the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station on November 1st last year, which claimed 16 lives. Protesters demand political and criminal accountability for the accident, and, since their demands have not been met, they also call for early parliamentary elections. The authorities, led by President Vučić, label the protests a “colour revolution” and an attempt to destabilise the country, blaming them on foreign influences and the opposition. Yesterday, we reported that Serbian parliament speaker Ana Brnabić declared the Novi Sad accident a deliberate sabotage aimed at overthrowing the government, claiming the collapse of the canopy was pre-planned and part of a conspiracy.
Barefaced populism
Regardless of the behaviour of the Serbian authorities, which in many ways resemble Putin’s autocracy in Serbia, utmost caution is needed when politicians like Irena Joveva begin offering their services. She represents only the tip of the iceberg of the Slovenian transitional left’s double game. As is well known, the Slovenian government is introducing new measures against Israel yet does not dare impose sanctions on Milorad Dodik. And after all, among the protesters one can see a wide variety of symbols, from Chetnik ones to Russian flags. But there are also those from the “opposite camp,” namely from Soros’s ideological empire.
As political commentator Miran Videtič put it, Joveva is “one of the most brutal MEPs” because of her provocative behaviour regarding the Balkans. Both “hardliners” and those who appear to oppose the government, he argues, have the same masters with purely economic interests in the Balkans. “They are not interested in peace, because when there is peace, people think independently, rejoice, gather, and embrace progressive, positive ideas,” Videtič commented on the MEP’s move on Facebook.
And finally, Joveva has never once protested against the double dealing of the Slovenian authorities, from Golob to Fajon and even Zoran Janković. Let us recall that the Slovenian government has only declaratively announced sanctions against Russia, but in practice does not implement them, as even the portal Necenzurirano implicitly admitted yesterday: they reported that Russian tycoon Sergej Samsonenko, closely connected to the Kremlin, bought a real estate company Kev Consult in Slovenia from a Chinese citizen. Samsonenko is on the U.S. sanctions list because of his ties to Dodik’s clan. It is clear that Slovenia is a favourable environment for him, where he will enjoy protection from the ruling politics steered from behind the scenes by Janković.
Which means that the action of the mentioned MEP is nothing more than cheap populism.