Yesterday, Zenica was once again the scene of a peaceful protest at Alija Izetbegovic Square, where citizens gathered to continue the fight for their demands to be met. The informal group “Zenica Rises” organized the fourth protest gathering, where demands were highlighted for increasing the minimum pensions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and adopting a concrete plan to combat peer violence in the Zenica-Doboj Canton(ZDC).
One of the protest organizers, Majda Ibrakovic, emphasized that those gathered are standing in the fight for the independence of institutions, freedom of the media, and the judiciary.
“We had four demands sent to three levels of government. This time, the focus is on the older and younger categories of society, with special emphasis on improving the living conditions of pensioners and solving the problem of peer violence. I’m glad that today we were joined by schoolchildren, high school students, and university students because we are fighting for their safety and future,” said Ibrakovic yesterday.
She added that the previous demands, which concern the economic situation, the construction of a cantonal hospital, and a cancer registry, have already been addressed to the relevant institutions, but the responses were either absent or purely formal in nature.
“We will not stop, nor allow responsibility to be shifted between institutions. We are monitoring their work and we will become louder and louder. We are also calling on other cities to join us – today Kakanj and Brcko are already with us, and next week we expect Sarajevo as well,” she emphasized.
Her colleague Almedina Dautbegovic added that two new demands have been sent to the authorities – one for increasing minimum pensions, and the other for urgent action against peer violence.
“This problem has been ignored for years, and we want concrete measures, not just debates in sessions,” she said.
Citizens in solidarity, but also disappointed with the turnout
Among those gathered were mostly pensioners, but also younger generations. However, some of the older citizens expressed disappointment with the low turnout of young people.
“Our time has already passed, but young people need to fight for their future,” said one of the pensioners.
Others pointed out that Zenica can be an example for other cities in BiH, but also that greater support is needed for the protests to have an impact. The difficult economic situation faced by pensioners was especially highlighted.
“Minimum pensions must follow the rising cost of living. Minimum wages should go to one and a half thousand, and minimum pensions to one thousand BAM. If the authorities don’t come to their senses and listen, I don’t know what they expect from the citizens in the next elections. They should pack up and leave ahead of time,” said one of the protest participants.
Dissatisfaction with the current situation was also expressed by one of the gathered citizens of Zenica:
“Salaries were raised in an illogical way, while pensions remain low. People who receive minimum pensions are barely surviving. Those in power have already raised their own twice. That has to change. I really liked what happened in Serbia, if I were closer, I’d be cooking all day to treat them. That really impressed me.”
Continuation of protests and expansion of support
The organizers announced that protests will continue until the relevant institutions offer concrete answers. They expect a greater turnout from citizens and support from other cities.
“We will not stop until we see real changes. This system must answer to the citizens, not the other way around,” they said at yesterday‘s protest in Zenica, N1 writes.
Photo: Federalna
