Welcome to the summer of Balkan nationalism 2024! As temperatures rise, so do nationalist passions in the region, exploding in the worst possible ways. From glorifying convicted Nazi collaborators and war criminals, to political leaders competing to drum up hatred louder, to church dignitaries who openly support these dangerous narratives – it’s all here.
In Montenegro, metropolitans celebrate war criminals as heroes, while Andrija Mandić, leader of Vučić’s New Serbian Democracy, lays wreaths alongside them for Chetniks and Ustaše in Slovenia, trying to justify crimes and deny the Srebrenica genocide. The Nevesinje rifle uprising against Ottoman rule is turned into a platform for glorifying Greater Serbian nationalism, with high officials from Serbia and Republika Srpska present, including Patriarch Porfirije and Montenegrin Metropolitan Joanikije.
As the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide approaches, Aleksandar Vučić’s regime and Republika Srpska authorities ramp up nationalist rhetoric, trying to drown out protests and deny the genocide clearly defined by the International Court in The Hague. Milorad Dodik and his allies inflate the numbers of Serbian victims with fabricated narratives, portraying fighters as innocent civilians and ignoring real facts.
Meanwhile, protests against the regime continue in Serbia, but the government uses police, gendarmerie, and paramilitary groups to brutally suppress any resistance. Police officers wearing masks and tattoos linked to criminal clans arrest students and citizens, while SNS leaders like Miloš Vučević happily pose with convicted criminals.
On the political stage, Aleksandar Vučić and his family control the state, using corruption and crime to maintain power. His brother Andrej is involved in shady deals, while Dodik slowly retreats but demands guarantees for himself and his family.
In Croatia, Marko Perković Thompson holds a concert in Zagreb filled with Ustaše symbols and salutes, while church dignitaries and politicians from the region jointly celebrate “Serb-Croat brotherhood” in an atmosphere reminiscent of the worst days of nationalism.
Internationally, Serbia balances between East and West, officially not imposing sanctions on Russia and allegedly exporting weapons to Ukraine, which Russia openly accuses. This duplicity shows Vučić’s regime is ready to do anything to keep power, including selling weapons to war zones.
All this happens while the region burns with nationalist tensions, revisionism, and political corruption. If you think this is just another boring political story, think again. This is a dangerous game with fire that could ignite the entire Balkans. So, what’s your take on this madness? Drop a comment, crack a joke, or just laugh it off – but don’t stay silent while history repeats itself!
