There were also non-violent ‘solidarity’ protests in Banja Luka, capital of the Serb republic (RS) within BiH, as well as in the cities of Belgrade in Serbia and Zagreb in Croatia. These solidarity protests came as a surprise given the history of war between these ex-Yugoslavian countries, and reinforced the protestors’ claim that the riots were not motivated by ethno-national resentment. The message repeated by protestors was dissatisfaction with corruption within the government leading to high pay-offs for politicians while 30% of the country is without work and many people live in poverty. “The people have nothing to eat, people are hungry, young people do not have jobs, there is no healthcare insurance, no basic rights. It can't get any worse,” one of the protesters said[1]. The protestors thus have underscored that their protests are a socio-economic revolt against the ruling class, and that those on the street are from all ethnic communities[2].
Nevertheless, political commentary on the riots has stirred ethnic accusations—a regular feature of political discourse in the run-up to elections in November 2014. The president of majority-Serb Republika Srpska has accused the majority Bosniak-Croat Federation of BiH of being ungovernable due to ethnic rivalry over public office. He claims that the FBiH population now wishes to de-stabilize the RS by importing disorder. Some newspapers have gone so far as to claim that the FBiH is sending tanks to the RS border regions even though such claims are not verified. Most newpaper and media outlets in BiH are owned by individual politicians or political parties. Many observers draw parallels to the propaganda and fear-mongering that preceded the outbreak of the Yugoslavian wars in the 1990s.
The violence used during the riots has been both praised and criticized by Bosnians and foreigners alike. The process of democratization in Bosnia over the past 20 years has been slow and riddled with problems. Fingers point to the manipulation of the population by members of the ‘old guard’ of war-time politicians who remain in power, but also the Bosnian civilians who critics say have failed to take up their role as active citizens prepared to use democratic means to hold their governments accountable. The February 2014 protests were not without precedent however. Only days before the riots erupted, a 4-month non-violent sit-in protest by Bosniak parents against the discriminatory practices of the RS Education Ministry towards their children ended in failure[3]. Despite appeals to the law, engagement of the public, the media and the government in debate on these issues, and widespread popular support, the protests failed to secure any compromise or policy change by the government, reinforcing a widespread feeling of powerlessness among the country’s citizens. In this light, it is not surprising to hear participants in the latest riots say that “Violence in the only language the politicians understand.”
Many commentators have praised the Bosnian public for getting off their couches and taking to the streets. Some have even suggested the possibility of a “Bosnian Spring” awakening the masses from 20 years of post-war sleep[4]. Indeed, the protests have produced a wave of commentary on the political past and future of Bosnia-Herzegovina. A lot of blame for the failures of the country is placed on the international community and the European Union. The internationally-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement, while succeeding in bringing the war to an end in 1995, is widely regarded as having made longer-term peace and prosperity in the country impossible due to its ethnically-based geographic division of the country and ethnic quota-system for the country’s government. The European Union is criticized for having dragged on the process of accession to the EU (and to greater economic security) too long and for having set prerequisites such as eligibility of ethnic minorities for election to the BiH presidency which, within the Dayton constitutional framework, are impossible to deliver on.
Though the protests appeared disorganized, greater focus and purpose has started to show in the protestors’ demands to government. As the Balkans Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) reports, a citizen-driven process of consultation on governance has started to take place around the country. “All over Bosnia, protesters are organising “plenums”, places where people can gather and try to formulate their demands. The participants are defining their rules, moderating the plenums by themselves, and, after summing up, sending their demands to cantonal assembles.”[5] The ‘Citizens’ Plenums’ have become consultative direct democratic fora for citizens of all walks of life to state their grievances and their demands for the reorganization of the country. One participant attending the Sarajevo citizens’ plenum held on 14 February 2014, who had been injured by police during the riots days before, declared: “I am here today because I am Serb, I am Croat, I am Jew, I am Roma, I am all the citizens of this country and I want better life.”[6] But there have been reports of police mistreatment of arrested protestors and police intimidation of citizens to dissociate from the protests.
[1] 06 Feb 14 New Protest Clashes Erupt in Bosnia’s Tuzla. Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnians-head-for-another-day-of-protests?utm_source=Balkan+Insight+Newsletters&utm_campaign=de43f0b007-BI_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4027db42dc-de43f0b007-319682905
[2] 13 Feb 14 Can the Revolt in Bosnia and Herzegovina Send a Message To the Wider World? Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/can-the-revolt-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina-send-a-message-to-the-wider-world
[3] 31 Jan 14. Bosniak Parents Abandon Sarajevo Street Protest. Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/school-row-protesters-leave-sarajevo?utm_source=Balkan+Insight+Newsletters&utm_campaign=c9e2d38cb8-BI_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4027db42dc-c9e2d38cb8-319682905
[4] 07 Feb 14 The ‘Bosnian Spring’ Starts With a Bang. Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/the-bosnian-spring-starts-with-bang
[5] 15 Feb 14 Plenums Are Teaching Bosnians Real Democracy at Last Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/plenums-are-teaching-bosnians-real-democracy-at-last
[6] 15 Feb 14 Plenums Are Teaching Bosnians Real Democracy at Last Accessed 03.03.2014: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/plenums-are-teaching-bosnians-real-democracy-at-last