Members of the Ravna Gora Chetnik movements from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the region, along with their followers, paid tribute to Chetnik leader Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovic and his comrades in Dobrunskа Rijeka, better known as Drazevina while playing traditional Chetnik songs over the loudspeakers.
More than a hundred followers of the Ravna Gora Chetnik movements marked March 13th without the usual gathering in Visegrad and lining up on the Fallen Soldiers’ Square, after it was banned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska (RS) a few years ago.
The organizer of the event, Drago Glogovac, stated that the number of attendees had decreased compared to previous years, partly due to the ban on gatherings in Visegrad and the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining that “in previous years, there were several hundred people from Ravna Gora movement.”
“We have been present for more than 20 years, and there has never been an incident from our side, and any individual who causes an incident will be held accountable because everyone is of legal age. Let them be held accountable for their actions because none of us will stand behind them,” said Glogovac.
The commemoration was attended by Slavko Aleksic and Risto Lecic, who, along with Dusan Spasojevic, were sentenced to five months in prison by the State Court for inciting national, racial, and religious hatred, discord, and intolerance in the area of Visegrad and its surroundings in March 2019. The three of them paid off their sentences before serving them.
According to the verdict, Sladojevic, in his capacity as president of the Ravna Gora Chetnik movement, addressed the gathering held on March 10th, 2019, in Visegrad, and greeted Aleksic, while it is stated that the song “Sprem’te se, sprem’te, cetnici” (Get ready, get ready Chetniks) which expresses threats and violence, was played on that occasion.
The same song was played yesterday in Drazevina, where Chetniks traditionally gather every year to mark the anniversary of the arrest of Chetnik leader Draza Mihailovic in the Monastery of St. Nicholas in Dobrunskа Rijeka.
Radan Osojic, President of the Veterans’ Organization of RS (BORS), called on the members of the Ravna Gora Movement to unite and respect the Serbian Orthodox Church, with a message to those who are bothered by their gatherings to let them be what they are and mourn and celebrate their heroes.
“Let them allow us to live in the most beautiful countries, let them allow us to live in Montenegro, Serbia, in RS, let them allow us to dream and pray to God that all I have said will one day be one country,” he said.
Mihailovic, the Chetnik leader, was sentenced to death in 1946 for high treason and collaboration with Nazi Germany. He was rehabilitated by the Higher Court in Belgrade in 2015.
Chetniks from Serbia, Montenegro, BiH, Slovenia, and Hungary attended the gathering, and they were supported by members of the Motorcycle Club “MC Serbs” from Serbia. BiH media has previously reported that, apart from spreading neo-Nazi symbols, according to security sources, this club spreads hatred and intolerance.
Cvjetko Radovic, a Hungarian, came from Hungary to join his friends from Ravna Gora Movement. He says he does this every year, without exception, and attends every Chetnik gathering from Bileca to Ravna Gora.
The present members and sympathizers of the Chetnik movement wore uniforms, caps with cockades, T-shirts with Mihailovic’s likeness, as well as Russian, Serbian, and Chetnik flags, and at the entrance to the Monastery, there was a stand where visitors could buy some of the symbols. A large banner with the inscription “When the army returns to Kosovo” was placed on the building intended for the gathering of the membersof the Ravna Gora Movement after the commemoration.
During the gathering, EUFOR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RS were present, N1 reports.
E.Dz.
