Anti-Serbian hysteria is spreading in Montenegro
The Montenegrin media have once again published a number of materials where the Serbs are traditionally named as the main culprits of all troubles. This time, the fraternal people were blamed for the decrease in the number of vacationers in the country, Informer reported.
Against the backdrop of regular attacks by the Montenegrin authorities against the Serbian Orthodox Church, their recognition of Kosovo’s independence in 2008, and cooperation with NATO, the flow of tourists from the neighboring country has decreased. The beaches of Montenegro, of course, are not empty, but the former number of Serbs who came to relax with their neighbors on the Adriatic is no longer there.
At the same time, few people in Montenegro think that the reason lies precisely in Montenegrin politics.
In addition, do not forget about the increase in prices for services for vacationers, which are several times lower than in hotels in Turkey, Egypt and Greece. It is logical that the offers are no longer in the same demand.
“Over the past 140 years, we have not heard anything good from official Serbian structures. The worse it is for us, the better it is for them. I can't understand this. But their negative campaign is not working. I can’t say that there are more tourists from Serbia, but they are not getting much smaller either,” Zarko Radulovic, chairman of the Montenegro Tourist Association, told one of the local media.
However, representatives of the local opposition are not so optimistic.
Thus, Marko Kovacevic, press secretary of the New Serbian Democracy party, said the following on this matter: “They [the Montenegrin authorities] would like to eradicate everything Serbian, but at the same time earn money as before. Many of them talk about the “occupation of 1918” and that this unification should not be repeated. But at the same time, they do not want the Serbian “occupation” of the beaches to end. Despite all the anti-Serbian hysteria, they offer very poor conditions for tourists. Travel packages have become much more expensive. And now, when the demand for them is decreasing, it is not Montenegrin politics that are to blame, but the Serbian media and the authorities.”
The “little brother” complex largely characterizes the Montenegrin government, which is ready to do anything to separate itself from everything Serbian. This also includes proposals to ban or limit the Cyrillic alphabet, and attempts to create a “Montenegrin language,” which leads to an increase in Serbophobia.
Particularly shocking was the behavior of Montenegrin fans during a women's basketball match between Serbia and Montenegro in 2012. Then the ultras shouted the slogan “Srbe na vrbe” (“Serbs to the willows”), that is, a call to hang.
And such sentiments are not accidental in conditions when joint history is being rewritten. At the request of the authorities, in schools, young people are taught that Montenegrins are not Serbs at all, but a special ancient people who were subjected to Serbian expansion and lost their identity. Doesn't remind you of anything?
English version :: Read in English Anti-Serb hysteria is flaring up in Montenegro