Bosnia - What's Going Down?

Yesterday an iconic 60's protest song came on the car radio as I was formulating this second post about the current protests in Bosnia. The intro and chorus is well known

'I think it's time we stop, children - what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down'...

and is totally infectious. I sang along and thought about how fitting this song is for the current #occupy/protest movements around the globe.

Along with Bulgaria, Turkey, Brazil and other countries - Bosnians are in the streets emphatically showing that they are fed up. Ultimately, they plan to 'fire' their politicians for not doing their job.

I love how things have turned into a sort of family picnic gone ballistic, though thankfully all involved are coherent and are dedicated to non violent civil disobedience. No one knows better than the Bosnians how quickly events can escalate to full blown conflict.

The initial complaint on the 5th of June saw a few hundred people gathering to protest the implementation of a long overdue legislation amendment regarding identification numbers for newborns. The safety of Bosnian children became the motivator and the protests swelled into the streets. The Baby-lution moniker was born.

Since then, thousands more, often  families, have come to the streets every day to declare their dissatisfaction with the elitist officials running the country. They stand, they eat, they hold up signs, they make music. They are together.

Years of psych games played by fear mongers on a population still working through the trauma of of unspeakable crimes committed on civilians has taken it's toll. Corrupt politicians have been using institutionalized ethnic division as a tool to keep the 'status quo'. That has kept an insular elitist structure in place for twenty years.

In the last three weeks, the hopelessness has been supplanted.  There are 'lines being drawn' and ultimatums have been posed.

Just two nights ago it was rumored that police from the opposition were checking out social media sites to single out 'instigators' in order to charge them. The infamous dark Bosnian humor showed it's face on Twitter in response.

Sarajevo 6/18 JMBG website

Nothing  this big has happened since Dayton and  though everyone is aware that the true test will come with the official elections in 2014, one imagines that the politicians must be nervous.

  So, what now?

JMBG, the most visible grassroots organization has given lawmakers till July 1st to come up with a solution. That is three days away.

Will they listen?

We will see on Monday,  when Bosnians stand together -  against  years of terrorization, corruption and institutionalized provocation -  in the that hope someone will hear the sound of the song they are singing.

'A thousand people in the street, singing songs and carrying signs Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

                                      Rise Against - For What it's Worth