A group of students and activists was attacked on Sunday in Mataruška Banja during the Veseli spust event, when they wanted to hang banners reading “Students Are Winning” and “Save Studenica” on a suspension bridge. According to their claims, a group of unknown men, one of whom said he was “from the service”, approached them and tried to forcibly remove the banner, with one of them ending up in the Ibar River.
Mataruška Banja is one of the stops for everyone participating in the Veseli spust – a traditional rafting event from Maglič to Kraljevo. On Sunday at around 2 p.m., when boats began arriving, a group of activists and students appeared on the suspension bridge holding banners reading “Students Are Winning” and “Save Studenica”. At one point, as can be seen in footage, a group of men approached them and tried to take the banners from them, while the one that read “Save Studenica” ended up in the Ibar River and a serious incident occurred. Two female students were injured in the incident, suffering hand injuries after pulling with the men when the incident and attempt to take the banner took place on the bridge.
Activist Boban Jerinić revealed to N1 what the incident looked like.
“At one point, before we unfolded the banner, a somewhat tattooed, slightly bigger guy approached us and asked what we were holding, thinking, of course, that we were holding the ‘Students Are Winning’ banner. When I told him it was ‘Save Studenica’, he just turned around and left, and after a few moments he came back and said: ‘We have a directive, none of the banners can be displayed, only “Serbia Is Winning” can be hung.’ Of course, we reacted and did not agree to that. Actually, later, when he came back, he wanted to snatch that banner from us,” he explained.
According to him, the commotion began when that man approached them and told them that the banner could not remain there.
“He started pulling and tugging, and I said – okay, give us some order, give us anything that you have some legal measure against us. Of course, he had nothing, he just said – hey, I’m from the service, referring to the BIA. I said – okay, give us, show us some identification. He didn’t have that either. So he contacted the police, allegedly. He said – they’re coming now. It was simply an attempt at intimidation, actually, he thought it would work,” Jerinić stated, adding that they have been involved in activism for a long time for such things not to pass.
Two female students were injured during the struggle with the alleged BIA member.
“They are young girls, so of course they could not wrestle with them like we, the men who were there on the bridge, could. I don’t know how serious the injuries were, but it was certainly an unpleasant situation for them.”
“Save Studenica” banner ended up in the Ibar
Bojana Minović from the “Save Studenica” Initiative described how the banner ended up in the Ibar River.
“It is customary that, when Veseli spust takes place, we come and unfold the ‘Save Studenica’ banner, because it is a good opportunity to tell the people participating in Veseli spust that the event is not just entertainment and not only a day when we should have fun on the water, but that it is a day when we should remember how important the Ibar is for us and how important its tributaries are for us. Unfortunately, we have nine small tributaries in pipes, these are all the most beautiful and cleanest mountain rivers, and that has truly affected the water level of the Ibar and the overall quality of the Ibar in general, especially in light of new challenges from climate change and everything else. We see that the water level of the Ibar is low, and that was visible yesterday as well.”
According to her, it is normal for the water level to be lower during the summer than usual, but the changes taking place are not discussed anywhere.
“Somehow, these changes on the Ibar can be seen every year and people who participate in Veseli spust talk about them. But it is never officially said, because Veseli spust is an event that implies ‘care through celebration’, it implies fun and it implies noise. And what we now just want to remind people of at one point is that, at this current moment, Studenica is the one that is in danger.”
It is suspected that they wanted to remove their banner because they thought it said “Students Are Winning”, but the activist says that their message is also not desirable for the current authorities.
“Absolutely, because our messages are not desirable. The message ‘Save Studenica’ is not desirable, because it is part of the entire context from which all of this is happening. So, one piece in the mosaic of all possible corrupt projects, seizures, various forms of exploitation and various forms of usurpation. And not only that, but also that arrogant and bullying attitude towards people who are here to defend their freedom, their rights, their resources, and their natural assets and values,” Minović said.
According to activists, police eventually arrived in Mataruška Banja, but they did not identify the men who had tried to forcibly remove the banner from the bridge.
“They were basically there to prevent escalation, but they only identified us. So, they checked our identities, but not theirs. The police are intimidated in this situation as well. I cannot say that they are not fair as people, but as an institution, it is obvious that they are somehow being kept under control. Unfortunately,” Jerinić concluded.
Let us recall, activists from Kraljevo and the surrounding area attempted to display banners reading “Students Are Winning” and “Save Studenica” on the bridge in Mataruška Banja during Veseli spust, after which a group of men approached them and forcibly tried to take the banners.
MORE TOPICS:
MINISTRY OF CROATIAN VETERANS: Serbia is mocking us, they do not want to cooperate at all!
Source: N1, Foto: Printscreen Instagram