Around 16:00 this afternoon, the citizens who came out to protest in front of the FB&H government were told by police officers to go to the sidewalk in order to unblock traffic. Around half an hour afterwards, citizens who arrived today from various cities in the FB&H began to leave, as buses were waiting to take them back home.
There were several hundred people who came today in what was labeled as the Plenum of all Plenums. It was a symbolic Plenum, gathering and uniting citizens from the FB&H who presented joint demands to the FB&H government. The top demands are the resignation of the FB&H government, suspension of criminal proceedings against the citizens who took part in the violent outbreak of protests on 5 February, and the cessation of the privatization process and the selling off of public assets, as well as a review of all privatizations conducted until now and the prosecution of those responsible.
Several citizens openly expressed their anger and disappointment because they claimed that the fewest amount of citizens who joined today’s protest are Sarajevo citizens, given the fact that the protest took place in the capital city of B&H. Citizens arrived by buses from cities throughout the FB&H, from Mostar, Zenica, Maglaj, Srebrenik, Tuzla and other cities throughout the FB&H.
The most visible citizens at today’s protests came from Srebrenik. They held up a huge banner that said ‘Srebrenik is Ours’ and held it up together, signaling their solidarity with one another in their struggle.
One woman in the crowd of protestors shouted her pleas and said that for over 20 years politicians have been making fools of the people.
The protest today was punctuated by whistles and citizens spoke over microphones and held numerous banners that lucidly displayed their growing frustration and lack of trust in the B&H political elite. Overall, the protest remained peaceful, and citizens showed their support for one another and their determination to continue the fight for their basic human rights.
While citizens protested today and condemned the government for ignoring their demands, the FB&H government held a session today in Mostar.
