Marta Manojlovic, a 17-year-old activist, was brutally assaulted by police in 2000 outside Belgrade city hall. Twenty-three years later, she witnessed history being repeated as security personnel beat protestors with batons once more.
Manojlovic was a part of “Otpor,” a student-led organization that played a crucial role in overthrowing Serbia’s strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, who oversaw the country’s wars with Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo in the 1990s.
When the police rounded her up, she was peacefully carrying a flag with her fist clinched, which is a sign of resistance against Milosevic’s dictatorial regime.
“One of the policemen hit me with a baton on my shoulder, I fell down and I think some seven of them had beaten me,” Manojlovic told AFP.
She lost consciousness and sustained 12 stitches on her head, bruised ribs and haematomas all over her body. Manojlovic took 10 days to recover — but to this day has not let go of the flag.
On the streets again
She returned to the streets on December 17 to protest what she saw as a rigged poll conducted by President Aleksandar Vucic, a longtime ally of Milosevic. The protests were held in the wake of the parliamentary and local elections.
Official results show that the leading opposition coalition received 23.5 percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections, while Vucic’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party received almost 46 percent.
Vucic, a pro-EU populist who was formerly a nationalist, has come under fire for what is said to be an iron hold on power in Serbia.
Manojlovic was one of thousands of demonstrators calling for the annulment of the vote on Sunday night in front of Belgrade city hall.
When others attempted to rush the building and smash windows with flagpoles and rocks, the police used pepper spray and batons to disperse the gathering.
“History repeats itself in the worst way possible,” Manojlovic told AFP.
“My experience told me that conflict was inevitable… so I left just before the clashes started.”
Afterwards, she saw images of police beating up young people.
“I felt terrible. This country continues the devour the best people it has, ones that love it the most,” Manojlovic said.
“We again, unfortunately, live in an autocracy.”
International observers — including representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) — reported “irregularities” in the election, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”.
Several Western countries have also expressed concern.
Vucic has denounced the protests, saying there was evidence the violence had been planned in advance and suggested that foreign actors were trying to stir up unrest.
Student movements
Manojlovic’s generation was raised by protesting democracy in the streets.
When she was little, her parents staged demonstrations against Milosevic’s despotic rule. Youths in Serbia took a rapid liking to “Otpor” (Resistance), which inspired them to stage a decisive battle that ultimately resulted in Milosevic’s downfall.
University and high school students united under the “Borba” (Fight) movement, which also utilizes a stylized clenched fist as its symbol, are leading the current protests.
Following the elections, an unofficial group called “Students Against Violence” was founded, emulating the name of the major opposition party in the nation, “Serbia Against Violence.” This group eventually became the movement.
The movement underscores it is not linked to political parties.
Some of Borba’s members are proud to wear their parents’ protest memorabilia, like Otpor pins, flags and banners.
“I was born in 2002, and I regret that a democratic transition did not take place then,” Emilija Milenkovic, a politics student, said.
‘Tolerating stabilocracy’
Due to its involvement in the horrific conflicts that tore apart the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Milosevic’s Serbia was despised by the world community. The world community harshly denounced and distanced itself from his administration.
Despite the accusations of fraud, Vucic has the backing of foreign politicians, and a number of EU officials personally congratulated him on winning the election.
Aleksandar Popov, a political expert, stated that democratic nations’ backing is essential for the success of anti-Vucic protests.
“They are still tolerating stabilocracy… and this is where you can see the hypocrisy of the West, especially when they speak about human rights and rule of law,” Popov told AFP.
“They don’t care about… sky-high corruption, collapsed institutions, suppressed human rights and stolen elections.”