Youth Protest in Sarajevo

Do you feel safe?

During protest caused by rising under-age delinquency two persons got hurt, glasses were smashed against the cantonal government building, as well as on numerous cars and trams


By BELMA BULJUBAŠIĆ
from Sarajevo, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA


The city center of Sarajevo was not a very nice place to find yourself in on February 12. A couple of thousands of citizens, mostly young people, gathered to protest because of rising under-age delinquency in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting was organized by non-governmental organizations "Dosta" and "Grozd" and it was held in front of Canton Sarajevo government and parliament buildings. The peaceful protest turned into riots when two people were injured and some glasses were smashed against the government building.

Organizers explained that the main motive for these protests is the bad security situation in the city after some under-age persons killed 17-year-old boy Denis Mrnjavac in the city tram, in front of almost fifty eye-witnesses. Also, a 21-year-old boy was badly injured in a café; old woman Ljubica Spasojevic was set on fire with gasoline, and on the bus station in city block called Dobrinja a bomb exploded and three people were injured.

After these events, young people announced peaceful protests to prevent similar things in the future. The meeting started peacefully but after some time standing with their transparents and saying "criminal is rising only in Sarajevo", some of the participants started throwing rocks at the building of the cantonal parliament and the session of parliament was stopped for a while.

Protesters have asked for the Prime Minister of Canton Sarajevo - Samir Silajdžić, and City Mayor Samiha Borovac to resign, as they are blamed for the bad situation in the city. Silajdzic has refused to give up, explaining that the situation about under-age delinquency is not so scary, "according to statistics".

Representatives of NGOs "Dosta" and "Grozd" claimed they had nothing to do with the riots and with the people who threw glasses and injured other persons.

However, protests have been repeated on February 23 in front of Sarajevo Cathedral. People have asked again for resigning of Samir Silajdzic and Samiha Borovac and demonstrations were supported by numerous NGOs, but the organizers were named as "the citizens of Sarajevo". We could see the transparents - "Resign", "Sarajevo wakes up", "Thiefs", as well as photographies of Josip Broz Tito and charicatures of Silajdzic and Borovac. The protest march went through the main streets Ferhadija and Marsala Tita where the number of people doubled. The next meeting was scheduled within a week, if the Prime Minister and City Mayor do not resign. Of course, that did not happen and one more peaceful protest was held on March 1.

The citizens claim they are ready to repeat their demands and explain that the politicians and officials are not on their positions because of themselves but because those who elected them.


(Published: 09.03.2008.)

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