A decade after the start of the Yugoslavian Civil War, Serbia is still grappling with extreme nationalist groups that advocate violence against their opponents both within Serbia and in neighboring countries. The groups also participate in violent activities and have battled with police during political protests. This is especially troubling because these groups are not hold-outs from the war in the 1990s, but rather are are increasingly made up of young people who barely remember the conflict.
In October of last year, right-wing youth clashed with riot police when they tried to disrupt a Gay Pride parade in Belgrade. Rioters set fire to the ruling Democratic Party headquarters, attacked a television station, and even hijacked a bus. 47 police were injured in the violence and scores of young people were arrested. Ultra-nationalist groups oppose any kind of acceptance of gays and lesbians in Serbian society on religious grounds.
In May there was more rioting when former Serbian General Ratko Mladic was arrested and transferred to The Hague to face genocide charges after 15 years on the run. Protesters, who consider Mladic a national hero, clashed with police and hundreds of young people were arrested. Rightest groups view Mladic, and other Serbian officials arrested for war crimes, to be symbols of Serbian power and view their arrests as a grave injustice orchestrated by the international community. The arrest of Mladic has been a strong recruiting tool for more traditionalist nationalist groups as they strive to bring younger members into the movement.
One group in particular has been extremely successful in recruiting unemployed and undereducated youth into it’s ranks. Obraz, an ultra-orthodox group created in 2001 has seen it’s ranks swell with young supporters. The group was founded in 2001 and successfully stopped Serbia’s first gay pride parade from occurring. Members of Obraz wear anti-gay t-shirts with the slogan “We are Waiting for You” as a warning to gay and lesbian activists. Orbaz is led by 30-year old university student Mladen Obradovic who is unapologetic about his dislike of gays, Muslims, and the European Union. Obradovic has high ambitions, he has stated he would like to become Prime Minister of Serbia and return to war to defeat Kosovo. He is currently on trial for his activities connected to the October Pride March and could be sentenced to 12 years in prison if convicted. Obradovic ‘s popularity has not been diminished by the criminal proceedings.
The presence of a resurgence of these groups is an important issue for Serbia. The inability to combat radicalism and nationalist violence may prove to be a stumbling block in Serbia’s eventual attempt to join the European Union. Additionally, Serbian ultra-right groups are becoming connected to the wider network of European neo-Nazi groups as young members begin to become admirers of Adolph Hitler’s views on racial purity. This means that their capacity for violence will increase and they will potentially be more effective in their tactics. The global financial slow down makes the task of combating these groups ever more difficult. Hopefully the majority of Serbs, who would like to put the past behind them, will be successful in containing nationalist rage.
Photos via Flickr.
