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– Patriarch Porphyry and Metropolitan Ioannicius after landing in Cetinje.
Authorities in Montenegro are investigating whether police have done enough to contain protests against the enthronement of Ioannicius as Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church over the weekend.
Two days after hundreds of protesters pelted the police with stones and they responded with tear gas, sharp remarks were exchanged between Belgrade and Podgorica, the Montenegrin government pointed to the president and his Democratic Party of Socialists, which lost power last year. According to the cabinet, there is an attempt to “destabilize the state” and incite ethnic and religious tensions in a country where the Serbian Orthodox Church is the most popular (but does not include even half the population), and the previous government tried to establish its own Montenegrin ( closed by Belgrade last century), by special law, led to mass protests last year.
Vesselin Velovic, an adviser to the Montenegrin president who led the protests, was detained (and later released) over the incident. According to the Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapič the actions of anyone who has provided or not provided support to law enforcement will be investigated, regardless of “what position he is in or which political party is defending him”.
Since Djukanovic lost power last year (as president he has limited powers), between his MRF, which has turned from Russia to the West, and the rulers, who hold on to ties with Serbia, is in sharp opposition, and geopolitics is often used as an occasion. Clashes over the enthronement of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s metropolitan have raised questions about attempts in both Belgrade and Podgorica to provoke tensions over their own political goals.
Ioannicius was eventually enthroned as Metropolitan of Montenegro and Archbishop of Cetinje, but authorities say they will find the answer to whether there were armed men and “terrorist elements” in Cetinje and at barricades around the country.
By Serbian plane
Opposition supporters and “patriotic groups” took part in clashes with police in Cetinje, Montenegro’s old capital, declaring the Serbian Orthodox Church’s enthronement a betrayal of Montenegro’s sovereignty (lost at the end of World War I). There were roadblocks in various parts of the country, some of them were set on fire, and in the confrontation with the police there were wounded on both sides – at least 20 police officers were injured. A former (since Djukanovic’s) speaker has also been injured.
Serbian Patriarch Porphyry himself arrived for the ceremony. He and Ioannicius arrived at her place by helicopter and special forces under heightened security. However, the patriarch landed in Montenegro and returned to Serbia on a Serbian government plane – and critical voices were heard in Belgrade saying this called into question the separation of church and state, especially on a delicate issue such as the current one.
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Podgorica claims there was a threat to the patriarch’s life. Authorities have suggested that individual police officers may not have deliberately opposed the violence during the protests. According to Montenegrin media, Krivokapic is under pressure to fire both the interior minister and the police chief, but an “investigation” has been announced as a compromise.
In an interview with Serbian public television RTS, Metropolitan Ioaniki explained that the interfering was President Milo Djukanovic, for whom Montenegro has become “a textbook example of gross political interference in the religious sphere”.
Acute reactions
Representatives of the Montenegrin government (among them Krivokapic) openly blamed Djukanovic for what happened. “The police attack is an attack on the state,” he said. Krivokapic even called the events a “terrorist act.”
According to Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, who is also the coordinator of the security services, “certain individuals” have armed participants in Cetinje.
According to Djukanovic himself, responsibility must be sought entirely by the Serbian Orthodox Church and by the government, often seen as close to Belgrade; in addition, police used excessive force against protesters. Prior to the protest in Cetinje (where the head of state’s residence is located), he threatened to join the action if the enthronement was not moved to a church other than the Cetinje Monastery.
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Tensions over the weekend were “expected”, Serbian President Alexander Vucic announced. He and Djukanovic, once allies, exchanged sharp remarks, talking to “you”, including in the warning from the Serbian to the Montenegrin head of state:
“Now I have to answer to Mr. Djukanovic – neither you nor anyone else will be able to subdue Serbia. You will not rule the country in any way … Now I will tell you that we do not want to rule Montenegro, we want brotherly and friendly relations, but I guarantee you that while I am alive, I will not allow you to conquer Serbia. “
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President of Serbia
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Vucic, who had in mind both the role of small Montenegro in the Serbian criminal world and the alleged “interference” of diplomacy and its services in Serbian politics, contradicted Krivokapic. He said Belgrade and Podgorica were discussing postponing the enthronement for security reasons, but the Montenegrin government fortunately changed its mind. Krivokapic denies that the postponement was discussed at all.
Interior Minister Alexander Vulin said yesterday that Serbia has no claims to “an inch” of anyone’s territory. He explained that he could neither confirm nor deny the words of Patriarch Porphyry that there had been more than one attempt to assassinate Metropolitan Ioannicius with a sniper.
The Russian “Kommersant” poured oil on the fire with an article discussed in both countries. According to a text titled “Montenegrin Airborne Enthronement,” both the Montenegrin government and the SPC are heavily influenced by Vucic, who may be interested in instability in the neighboring country to divert attention from problems in his own country. Last year, power-related media in Serbia warned that Russia, where Vucic is a frequent guest, could actually act against him – for example, through mass protests over coronavirus restrictions.
The newspaper also notes that “experts” expect destabilization, which could have been avoided if the enthronement had actually taken place in any other temple than the Cetinje Monastery; something that both the SOC and the prime minister rejected. Historian and political scientist Milivoje Beslin was also quoted as saying that “it can be said with confidence that all decisions regarding the Cetina crisis were made by the President of Serbia”.
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The European Union, meanwhile, has expressed “concern”, with embassies in Germany, Italy, France, Britain and the United States condemning the violence. According to the EU, all citizens have “freedom of assembly” – including protesters against Ioannicius – but this must not be at the expense of public health, order and safety of residents.
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