A refreshing text from bosnia-hercegovina about the tactics and conflicts related to the uprisings in februar this year. Many topics remind to similair situations in history … solidarity with the struggling people
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(Quelle: http://ccbrigada.tumblr.com/post/78999528624/how-did-bosnian-uprising-failed-and-what-have-we)
Yesterday was opened discussion among protesters “How did Bosnian uprising failed and what have we learned” and this is our small contibution to the forthcoming analyzes and discussions, provided that we analyze only protests in Sarajevo, because we worked here and spend our time with people on streets during, and after, famous 7th February. In order to understand current movements in Sarajevo, it is important to keep in mind all protests [not-so-common] which occured in last few years and movements that have occurred in that time. We don’t want to last it forever, so maybe it will be little problem for those who are not familiar with them. When we say “protests”, we don’t think of protests walks around town organized by non-governmental organizations on the occasions of various dates that have empty meaning, just like their walks. There is too much problems with Sarajevo protests, and it’s important to write it in consecutive and logical way – as with mistakes in steps, also with wrong perception of protests.
We are writing this as attempt to highlight basic missed things, and in hope it would serve as a trigger to correct omissions and spread ideas.
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After the last flame was extinguished, every unlucky man which was stunned by poison gas and arrested, and after anti-terrorist unit came on terrain – mass media have begun its job.
Question of media in B&H is still problematic, so there are various groups of people which follow media and believe them, but for a different reasons. Some of them follow so-called “independent” media [or American one], other follow media which belong to “their” party, and the third which act like they know media sells shit, but still remain faithful listeners/readers of a certain television/portal/newspaper.
What still has not come to mind of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the fact that all these media run by mercenary invertebrates – they are working in favor of the ruling class. Regardless whether they work for those who want to come to power or the current government, the media is just an extended arm of the oppressor – current, future, potential – and it happens that they play against each other, quite often, but this time we saw united black crows screaming at disenfranchised demonstrators calling them hooligans, vandals, mercenaries and “left” Al’Kaida! What did they, in fact, succeed to sell us?
Generally, the problem is not in the nicknames ‘hooligan’, ‘vandal’, like they also call sport fans, but the attendance on their football matches does not fall. While it has been told to us, on all the bells and whistles how we have “understand what it has been done to us for 20 years and that we’ve fought for their interests and that we will never be able to be fucked up at the expense of nationalism”, in that moment we failed on another story that they’re selling us for 20 years – a war story. It is interesting how very few of the demonstrators paid attention for the ‘must-have’ of any news about the protests these days, like: “state of war” and “that what the heroes in the war defended, the hooligans burned today” [author’s note: The Presidency Building]. The most transparent tactic that was used by the media and politicians is the argumentum ad Incursus – taking the attitude that “neither the aggressor did not do that” for any action taken by the opposing side, to strengthen their own argumentation lines and weakening the legitimacy of the opponents. On the other hand, the responsibility need to be taken by group of demonstrators who [sincerely, we hope unconsciously] played the way the government was playing:
The first mistake that has been repeating for who knows how many times, is the playing on the pathetic. About that it can be made a collection of statements “Disappointed people who are screwed up by those who confirmed on Facebook that they will come.” Or calling the non-demonstrators ‘shit’, ‘Dad’s sons’, ‘immoral people’, with shouts [we do not know where this cry encouraged, go to hell with him]: NARODE, JE LI VAM DOOOOOOBRO? (PEOPLE, ARE YOU FEELING GOOOOOOOD?) If we use our brains, in this world there is a very small number of people who are feeling good. The problem does not lie in the fact that people think that it is good to them, but far deeper. The number of people who came out to protest Seventh (of February) proved that people are not feeling good, but that people want to protest with specific demands. Blocking streets with whistles and banners which are denouncing students, performing stupid performances you can hold in Iceland or leave such games for home. After all, if people have not responded to a protest, it means that the problem lies in the protests, and not the people who did not respond.
With critivs, pathetics and similar excesses you just refuse people from yourselves. The second, and perhaps the biggest mistake, appeared at the plenum and around the plenum, and is closely related to [not say that it is even the result of] a liberal supply. Advocating ‘democracy’, ‘dignity’, peaceful protests and civil ‘disobedience’ – it is the deadliest weapon for rebellion! The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina gave up long ago even pretending to be democratic.
Amid the comic climate of superficial analyses, paid officials of psychological war are showing at the rebels, screaming: “It is not democratic; they’re ignoring the rules by which our democracy works”. “We can’t, and that we mutely stop for a moment in front of what until recently was considered to be impossible. Although their intent to deceive, heads of state told a truth. We despise democracy more than anything else in this decadent world. Because what is democracy but a system of discrimination and force in the service of property and insulating privacy? Freedom, equality of rights, equality, and all ideological masks together can’t cover up their mission: the preservation and expansion of the social sphere as well as the economic sphere, the sphere in which the products of our work are pre-alienated, but also our being and all that you are allowed to do. The bourgeoisie, with voice that is quivering with humility, promises: rights, justice, equality. And the rebels hear: repression, exploitation, despoilment.
Calling on non-violent protests and accusing every dignified rebel with mask, heart and rage large enough to burn all this shit down -“provocateur” resulted only with bigger lack of interest and enthusiasm for protests [which, by the way, few day safter, didn’t make any sense]. This lession was supposed to be learnt at ID protests, but this time it was not only repeated, this idiotic bourgeois shit was 60x more worst. For plenum-bourgeois suddely everyone became “agent provocateurs” and “regime agents”; literally anyone who dared to criticize their tactics. For sake of truth, it is important to note that not all people at plenum were bourgeois “professional” activists, but their opinion was not very important and influential in such situations. Plenum-bourgeois were so offended by media which didn’t support them, that they defended at all costs even the most imbecilic ventures of plenum.
Generally, whole plenum made a big mistake in searching for space in which would be maintained plenum. At that moment, plenum distanced itself from protests / i.e. blockade of main road / and it became different part of story, instead of occupying one of numerous government buildings and turning it into the headquearter of protests. The plenum, in fact, became an informal institution and intermediary between the protesters and rulling class. Although today its most biggest advocates do not believe in its power – plenum did what it wanted to do – choked protests, mess up demands and said to rebellious people to wait for governement’s decision, which will be published in no time. While they wait a decision, charity – plenum, along with a representative of USAID and Valentin Inzko [which, if you forgot, threatened us by sending troops in Bosnia] supported peaceful, ‘dignified’ and civilised protests, i.e. blocking the main road in Sarajevo, but with strongly condemn of any ‘violent’ act. So, one protester was again called “provocateur” because of his “violent” act when drivers of official vehicles peacefully, with dignity and in civilised spirit hitted demonstrators. Waiting for Godot / Expert government that will appear as a holy savior and get us out of this shit.
In doing so, not realizing that no government, of any kind, can get us out of shit in which we have fallen. The only salvation for people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is resignation of all governing structures, destructions of any form of authority over working people – and finally, self-organization. Only in that way, plenums would really make sense. And to fuck off all these who advocate intervention of “experts” and Bosnian “intellectuals” alcoholics who wasted their lives in bars.
And have you noticed how much these liberals/plenum-bourgeois are agressive in attempt to impose their views at other people? Did you saw how exclusive they are when they present their attitudes and values as only correct and civilized? And when the majority opinion correlates with their, they are screaming about democracy, otherwise “people are narrow-minded and uneducated” and we are all “caveman”. Losted in the role of educators, they are refering to Europe, Declaration of Human Rights, civilized world, science, and they mostly know “next to nothing” about these things. The role of progressive revolutionaries is ther image. They are urban, their attitudes are urban, their idols are urban, their imaginary revolution is urban. They do not belong to this Balkan-region, they are choking in primitivism that emanates from all of us. “Be the change you want to se” in synergy with arrogant “Oh, God, where do I live.”
Whoever claims that violence can’t solve anything and that everything can be solved by peacefull and democratic way, need to be asked how would world look alike today if there weren’t uprisings and revolutions, to which extent to which extend would authority go if only force that it develops is lust for greater power and control. Since the answer to this question is obvious, look at all of these fine bourgeois which are refering to democracy and in their eyes you’ll se no longer “great revolutionaries”, but crappy idiots without dignity and courage!
Idiots like liberals could never be vanguard of anything in B&H, especially not in Sarajevo. Therefore, any interference of such persons and thursting their democratic and “tolerant” noses in our hooligan work is doomed to fail and weakening the rebel spirit.
Uprisings and revolutions are though, demanding, and many times painful, but only as such – they can bring freedom and dignity.
And as our hooligan experience led us to new acqueaintences with a wonderfull young and brave people who are willing to change the world and to work on concretely things, which didn’t soiled their soul in the affair of “profesional activism”, and we decided that our actions will always be in line with our, not democratic, desires. And that every minut of inaction and non-sabotage of liberal and government methods is our involvement in their crimes.
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All of the above rough analysis would not be of any particular significance if there wouldn’t be in accompanied a proposal for continuing of the fight.
Uprising community is made by various people with different motives why they decided to declare war against the government. In order to achieve stronger and more effective action, it’s necessery to have strong relationship between comrades within a community. Community is made up of cells on the basis of common experience or actions and goal.
Actions that hit the enemy can’t be recognized as “legal” or “illegal” because we do not accept the language spoken by the state! And they are able to move from protests and meetings, to collective/individual actions in the night, destroying every symbol of the state and direct conflict with the watchdogs of the regime and/or managers. Only with these methods the relations between people can take the form of comradeship and become a whole in terms of solidarity, and only in such methods of combat, actual combat, each person feels their existence and act based on its emotions and mind. That means directing the force toward a common goal – including overcoming differences, breaking ground and a constant assault on the enemy. The ruling democracy likes to allow the free expression of revolutionary ideas, but at the same time deriding them by the media, the burial of uprising with blooded advertising leaflets. Mass will still ironically consume that and the addiction of mainstream media will overcome it. No statement in the news and newspapers or electronic media can’t replace the handshake with comrades in the community and communication through a relationship developed in the open resistance. State Strategy on the nervous system of anti-authoritarian struggle is a dynamic and aggressive hitting our choices. Not being a citizen is now equal annunciation of the war.
Questions is: are we going to give up of war and fall to knees in front of the state?
