Montenegrins to Protest Against Wave of Violence

Under the slogan "A life without fear", a protest has been scheduled for Saturday in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, with organizers urging people to stand up against the recent wave of mafia-like violence in the country. They say it has become "everyday life in Montenegro", and has to stop.

"Because of the killings and arson attacks that have become common in the country, a growing number of citizens of Montenegro feel deep personal, legal, property and other forms of uncertainty," the organizers said in a statement.

"As the competent authorities do not take effective measures to combat this, and in an atmosphere of fear in which killings and explosions have become a habit, citizens concerned for their personal safety, the safety of their families, but also general security, call on all Montenegrins to join the peaceful protest on Saturday," they said in the written statement.

Another protest was scheduled for Wednesday, when a group of ten NGOs will gather in front of the Interior Ministry, demanding urgent action against gang-related violence.

The Civic Alliance, an NGO, said it was time to pressure the authorities to deal with the issues, and with "solutions not rhetoric."

Top security officials admitted on Monday that the situation in the country was worrying after the latest bomb blasts and assassinations, having claimed the opposite for years. They said the "security situation had worsened as a result of the growing conflicts of organized criminal groups."

On social media, some opposition politicians and activists argue that Montenegro needs its own version of the massive police operation carried out in Serbia immediately after the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003.

The Council for Civic...