Interior minister: It would be best to call off Pride Parade

All this talk of giving in to the 'far-right' is nonsense. It should be called giving in to the majority of the Serbian people then so be it, there is nothing wrong with that.

Stefan if you want to talk about being 'un-Serbian' then perhaps you should tell it to the gay pride organizers. If they want to go and stupidly parade their sexuality (you dont ever see heterosexuals doing such a pathetic thing) then they can go to London or some other western city. Most gay pride parades in the west have people come along and cheer them on for some ridiculous reason, so if they want that, they can go elsewhere, they cannot expect the Serbian people to cheer them on, so in that case why do they even want to hold the parade in Belgrade?

When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned and added that it was not police’s job to ban any organization.

--

Having said that, it's also not their job to bar Serbian citizens from holding a peaceful parade. It's their job to enforce the law, and to protect and serve citizens from harm. Unless the homosexuals are vandalising the private property of other Belgrade citizens, or harming the lives of others, then they're doing nothing wrong, all personal opinions on the merits and morality of homosexuality aside. If problems arise because of this parade (they might), then it's solely the fault of the nationalist groups who are offended by this parade more than they should be, and react in a thuggish and un-Serbian manner, not the fault of those who are acting peacefully.

Giving into the demands of the far-right is going to be a poor reflection of the authorities (and, let's be honest, their popularity isn't that great at the moment) in my opinion, and would only ensure that those who'd like to see Serbia become an authoritarian theocracy develop an even bigger threshold then they deserve. Surely, Serbian citizens can be trusted to provide their own opinions on homosexuality, gay rights and the legality and morality of homosexuals without unnecessarily hampering the rights of fellow citizens to peaceful assembly.

If the homosexuals respect this, can't everyone else? These people are Serbs and should be treated as equally before the law as your pop at the local crkva.

I suspect that most reasonable citizens would argue that there are far more important problems to address, than indulge a vocal minority in their obssession with being noticed. Poverty, unemployment, corruption, Kosovo, there are any number of serious issues the government could be dealing with, other than the obvious security implications involved with a gay parade. Why persist in ramming your lifestyle choices down the throats of the straight majority, in what it is still a very conservative population. It's provocation for provocation's sake pure and simple.

Stefan is right that under normal circumstances, in a democracy, citizens have the right to organise and hold parades and demonstrations as long as they behave.

But these are not normal circumstances, and the comment in the article that the EU and other international bodies are watching this event closely bears this out, as well as demonstrating just how petty and pathological certain powerful elements in the West have become.

This parade has less to do with gay and lesbian rights and more to do with a vindictive attempt to demonise Serbia. Homophobes exist everywhere, no more or less in the Balkans.

Holding this parade is the new geopolitical equivalent of a beta monkey showing deference to an alpha one after a confrontation. It amounts to the same thing.

The fault of the police getting injured and the city getting smashed is that of the lawless rioters.

repeat as often as necessary.

This Dveri, the first time I hear about it. Or is it that they get outlawed often and the people there form a new one, change name until that one gets outlawed too? The business of right wing movements?
(Reader, 23 September 2011 16:59)

Dveri has actually been around since 99' my friend. They were formed by Belgrade University students who realized that the Milosevic government was not the way to go, but more importantly the opposition at the time (current regime) would not bring any positive changes to Serbia either. They were most correct.

They have served as a NGO in support of family values, Serbian families having more children in order to increase our birth rate and are against genetically modified foods...but I guess that makes them far right?

There is no reason they should be banned. In fact, something b92 failed to publish in their article on Dveri yesterday is Dveri specifically said all those who strongly oppose this pride parade do NOT take it out no the police officers by provoking violence, that is the last thing we want. They are not based of ultra nationalism and violence but rather common sense and are only considered "far right" because they do not take orders from Brussels or Washington.

As far as Dacic wanting to call of the parade..it is not because he is concerned about the safety of his police officers, or even about the safety of the paraders. He is worried that the police will not follow his orders. And authority becomes authority no more when you give out an order that cannot and is not followed. Then your authority is useless and thus the governments authority is no more. It's all politics, policemen are respected in Serbian society. If policemen refuse to obey orders that would be a serious blow to the current regime.

I personally don't get with the point of holding a parade based on sexual orientation. You parade in the streets in front of everyone how you like to have sex? Is that not a bit disgusting. Meanwhile, what exactly are you parading for? Homophobia in Serbia will not decrease if you try to shove your homosexuality in people's faces by parading on public streets. Meanwhile you have all the rights as other Serbian citizens. You have the right to a house, you have the right to protection and safety. Any of those who harm you are charged by the law...what exactly are you parading for? And what exactly do you hope to achieve with this parade?

Strong supporter of Dveri Srpske

Either give it the protection this parade deserves or not.

One has to question what this dithering and contradiction of the government is really about.

I'm more inclined to believe that for the last few months the whole, shouold it occur, should their be security debate has been about controlling the masses. Have them distracted by this while those in power do god knows what while the masses are distracted.

The gay pride parade is an absurd concept!
Why must some individuals feel the need to parade their sexual orientation?
Should we also have a Heterosexual pride parade?
What right does one group have over any other?!

Im sure the majority of Serbs have nothing against what an individual does with his or her partner behind closed doors, but to openly display this in public is lude behaviour, and a slap in the face of many people who find this behaviour immoral or offensive.
So why provoke it?

As Stefan points out I'd like to emphasise 'It is not up to police to make such decisions whether some gathering should be held or not'.

That is my opinion of course but what I'd like to say is that this is a classic example of the media's selective headlining. Equally the report headline on B92 could have been Dacic: 'Not upto police whether gathering should be held or not'.

Stefan makes good points so I won't bore anybody by adding to those. But I would make this point - the government is unpopular, which is precisely why they are treading carefully on this issue. The calcuation is that there are more right wing votes than 'gay' votes to be picked up. Whilst this is true, its another mistake by the amateurs in the parties. The fact is that the Dveri types and the ones that are pretty much against the gay protest (not ones who don't like homsexuality for example, but do not find this issue important) will never vote for the government parties anyway. So there is no point in pandering to the intolerant right. On the other hand Dacic knows that some traditionally sympathetic SPS supporters are against the march and they may decide to vote elsewhere so he does not want to alienate those voters.

Or perhaps governing parties are playing a clever, cynical game with this issue. Governing parties want the right wing vote to be split. To the right wing mainstream parties that are afraid to say what they really think, Dveri is a great antidote. Thus the publicity Dveri has gained due to the March is in their interest. I think that those on that side of the political spectrum will remember Dveri at the ballot box and parties such as DSS, SNS and SRS will stand to suffer as a result.

If Serbia wants to join the EU then it needs to grow up and start becoming a more tolerant society.

If the gays in Serbia had any morality thay would join the nationalists and protest this treasonous governemt of Tadic which is destroying the country, instead they have foolishly let themselves be manipulated by foreign anti Serbian forces. It would be nice to see some patriotism from Serbia's gay community for a change.

-The interior minister stated that the Pride Parade was a political event that was very important for the state and that he had received a letter from the European Commission and the European Parliament saying that they were closely monitoring the Pride Parade. When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned and added that it was not police’s job to ban any organization.-

This feels more and more like a bad balkan version of the weimar republic, heading south, fast. at least the weimar constitution was genuinely democratic...

it all bodes very badly for serbia's citizens, not to mention those of its neighbors.

i am very glad i am of neither group, but for better or worse we have many frnds and allies who do belong to both, so we cannot close our eyes to it. after all, what happens in serbia never stays just in serbia.

dacic is such a two-bit right winger. i still can't believe i was told "he's the best of that (rotten) bunch." if he's the best of the bunch, we're in worse trouble than i even thought.

the police of serbia, yes, have earned a horrible reputation, i mean EARned. i'm not generally very pro-police, but they can be really dangerous. now they take it upon themselves to set state policy? uh hunh. that's a pretty good indicator.

i said last yr: at least the police did protect the civilians (for once, did their job!) and then were attacked, and i did feel some sympathy for them, as they were obvious pawns in the game. now they (visa vis their union) have moved from pawn to actors, right-wing, dangerous actors. part of the problem.

everyone, i mean everyone knows there will be blood. duh. perhaps a lot. i am VERY concerned for the participants. they'd better friggen be ready for everything. those "gyrating bodies" (so told to us, ad nauseum, by the homophobes w "family values") had better be covered, well padded, cause that "family-value" crowd sure knows how to wield rocks, and will. they practically have license from the cops and the govt. sickening.

well padded, all cameras on, everything on film, first aide readily accessible, lawyers, cell phones. media.

speaking of media, you can take an easy bet that some b-92 identifiable fotog or reporter will still be seen as the enemy by the far right, and targeted. they better be ready.

anyone there with even half a conscious might think about joining the march. i don't give a sh-t about yr orientation, what position you do, or who yr not getting laid by. don't give a flick. don't wanna know -- ever. you do however have some responsibility to protect and defend members of a despised and targeted minority. chitty chat on some media line doesn't quite do the trick.

i'm sorry that we can't send a contingent from here. but believe me, we know what to do when ppl start to throw stones. please!

good luck, to any and all participants. you all have a lot of guts, and are showing an amazing courage.

roberto frisco

Finally true democracy at work.

If you want to know more about the origins and ideology of Dveri srpske, read this recent analysis by Peščanik (04.09.2011)

http://pescanik.net/content/view/7440/158/

Karadjordje would turn in his grave if he knew Serbia would allow a gay pride parade.

Let's stick to our values and our real pride; that is, the pride of our history & the pride of a Serbian family consisting of a man and a woman making love to reproduce.

Just because New York passes a law for Gay marriage and the Mayor of Berlin is gay & gay clubs thrive in Germany & other European countries, it doesn't mean that Serbia should start to follow any other country.

The majority of people find the parading of homosexuality offensive, especially in public. So why does Serbia need to tolerate this parade?

why do they have to go and let everyone know their sexuality by having a parade? It just doesn't make sense.

I pray to God that Serbia doesn't fall in the same trap these other countries are falling into where they start losing the values that their country has been built on over the past 1000+ years.

Or they should go and have their pride parade through the streets of Pristina where they will be happily accepted and 'cheered' for.

If you want to know more about the origins and ideology of Dveri srpske, read this recent analysis by Peščanik (04.09.2011)

[link]/
(Посматрач, 24 September 2011 04:46)

Thanks - looks like an other "Jobbik" for me, earlier or later with "Serbian" (and not "Magyar") Gárda. Losers, going nowhere. What is also to expect from a "radical left" mixing with "radical right".

These parades are already succeeding in their aim. The oxygen of publicity is already working in their favour. Resisting these parades will eventually ensure that they become fully established as an annual event.

The point of the parades is to raise awareness that approximately 10% of the population want the same freedoms as the other 90%. The facts is that these parades will not stop - whether we like them or not. Eventually that awareness will creep into the population. People are not actually that bothered and do not really want to spend their time worrying about suppressing minorities.

My suggestion is to simply let people have the parade and then simply go home. When all is quite, the issue will disappear - boredom will set in, and the pride parades will stop because they are no longer necessary.

why should diaspora Serbs have a right to vote in Serbia? They don't live here. Serbia doesn't exist for the pleasure of their sentimentality. It's a real place where real people live. The people who live there should decide what's best for them, not some Serber-than-Serbs from Australia.

"When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned..."

It is one of the oldest tricks in the world, you answer a question with another question, when you don't want to answer the original question.
By the way, how many right wing movements are there in Serbia? This Dveri, the first time I hear about it. Or is it that they get outlawed often and the people there form a new one, change name until that one gets outlawed too? The business of right wing movements?

Public order is the most important thing, among with religion. Many countries therefore have religious polica, also known as the Mutaweens. I think this is also a good idea for Serbia.

I hope there won't be any blood and it will be peaceful. If not for an other reason - just to see the face of the biggest troll on B92 who in secret WANTS the blood to flow in rivers - just to blame everything Serbian and Russian afterwards.

Loser.

Ivica talks a lot of sense.
You should listen to him.
If there was a referendum, 00.9% of people in Serbia would be against the Parade.

Strong supporter of Dveri Srpske
(Ari Gold, 23 September 2011 18:36)

Thank you for the information Ari, really informative. One more question if you don't mind, do Serbs in the diaspora have the right to vote? Or are those traitors in Belgrade too scared of you? thanks.

-The interior minister stated that the Pride Parade was a political event that was very important for the state and that he had received a letter from the European Commission and the European Parliament saying that they were closely monitoring the Pride Parade. When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned and added that it was not police’s job to ban any organization.-

This feels more and more like a bad balkan version of the weimar republic, heading south, fast. at least the weimar constitution was genuinely democratic...

it all bodes very badly for serbia's citizens, not to mention those of its neighbors.

i am very glad i am of neither group, but for better or worse we have many frnds and allies who do belong to both, so we cannot close our eyes to it. after all, what happens in serbia never stays just in serbia.

dacic is such a two-bit right winger. i still can't believe i was told "he's the best of that (rotten) bunch." if he's the best of the bunch, we're in worse trouble than i even thought.

the police of serbia, yes, have earned a horrible reputation, i mean EARned. i'm not generally very pro-police, but they can be really dangerous. now they take it upon themselves to set state policy? uh hunh. that's a pretty good indicator.

i said last yr: at least the police did protect the civilians (for once, did their job!) and then were attacked, and i did feel some sympathy for them, as they were obvious pawns in the game. now they (visa vis their union) have moved from pawn to actors, right-wing, dangerous actors. part of the problem.

everyone, i mean everyone knows there will be blood. duh. perhaps a lot. i am VERY concerned for the participants. they'd better friggen be ready for everything. those "gyrating bodies" (so told to us, ad nauseum, by the homophobes w "family values") had better be covered, well padded, cause that "family-value" crowd sure knows how to wield rocks, and will. they practically have license from the cops and the govt. sickening.

well padded, all cameras on, everything on film, first aide readily accessible, lawyers, cell phones. media.

speaking of media, you can take an easy bet that some b-92 identifiable fotog or reporter will still be seen as the enemy by the far right, and targeted. they better be ready.

anyone there with even half a conscious might think about joining the march. i don't give a sh-t about yr orientation, what position you do, or who yr not getting laid by. don't give a flick. don't wanna know -- ever. you do however have some responsibility to protect and defend members of a despised and targeted minority. chitty chat on some media line doesn't quite do the trick.

i'm sorry that we can't send a contingent from here. but believe me, we know what to do when ppl start to throw stones. please!

good luck, to any and all participants. you all have a lot of guts, and are showing an amazing courage.

roberto frisco

When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned and added that it was not police’s job to ban any organization.

--

Having said that, it's also not their job to bar Serbian citizens from holding a peaceful parade. It's their job to enforce the law, and to protect and serve citizens from harm. Unless the homosexuals are vandalising the private property of other Belgrade citizens, or harming the lives of others, then they're doing nothing wrong, all personal opinions on the merits and morality of homosexuality aside. If problems arise because of this parade (they might), then it's solely the fault of the nationalist groups who are offended by this parade more than they should be, and react in a thuggish and un-Serbian manner, not the fault of those who are acting peacefully.

Giving into the demands of the far-right is going to be a poor reflection of the authorities (and, let's be honest, their popularity isn't that great at the moment) in my opinion, and would only ensure that those who'd like to see Serbia become an authoritarian theocracy develop an even bigger threshold then they deserve. Surely, Serbian citizens can be trusted to provide their own opinions on homosexuality, gay rights and the legality and morality of homosexuals without unnecessarily hampering the rights of fellow citizens to peaceful assembly.

If the homosexuals respect this, can't everyone else? These people are Serbs and should be treated as equally before the law as your pop at the local crkva.

As Stefan points out I'd like to emphasise 'It is not up to police to make such decisions whether some gathering should be held or not'.

That is my opinion of course but what I'd like to say is that this is a classic example of the media's selective headlining. Equally the report headline on B92 could have been Dacic: 'Not upto police whether gathering should be held or not'.

Stefan makes good points so I won't bore anybody by adding to those. But I would make this point - the government is unpopular, which is precisely why they are treading carefully on this issue. The calcuation is that there are more right wing votes than 'gay' votes to be picked up. Whilst this is true, its another mistake by the amateurs in the parties. The fact is that the Dveri types and the ones that are pretty much against the gay protest (not ones who don't like homsexuality for example, but do not find this issue important) will never vote for the government parties anyway. So there is no point in pandering to the intolerant right. On the other hand Dacic knows that some traditionally sympathetic SPS supporters are against the march and they may decide to vote elsewhere so he does not want to alienate those voters.

Or perhaps governing parties are playing a clever, cynical game with this issue. Governing parties want the right wing vote to be split. To the right wing mainstream parties that are afraid to say what they really think, Dveri is a great antidote. Thus the publicity Dveri has gained due to the March is in their interest. I think that those on that side of the political spectrum will remember Dveri at the ballot box and parties such as DSS, SNS and SRS will stand to suffer as a result.

The fault of the police getting injured and the city getting smashed is that of the lawless rioters.

repeat as often as necessary.

All this talk of giving in to the 'far-right' is nonsense. It should be called giving in to the majority of the Serbian people then so be it, there is nothing wrong with that.

Stefan if you want to talk about being 'un-Serbian' then perhaps you should tell it to the gay pride organizers. If they want to go and stupidly parade their sexuality (you dont ever see heterosexuals doing such a pathetic thing) then they can go to London or some other western city. Most gay pride parades in the west have people come along and cheer them on for some ridiculous reason, so if they want that, they can go elsewhere, they cannot expect the Serbian people to cheer them on, so in that case why do they even want to hold the parade in Belgrade?

I suspect that most reasonable citizens would argue that there are far more important problems to address, than indulge a vocal minority in their obssession with being noticed. Poverty, unemployment, corruption, Kosovo, there are any number of serious issues the government could be dealing with, other than the obvious security implications involved with a gay parade. Why persist in ramming your lifestyle choices down the throats of the straight majority, in what it is still a very conservative population. It's provocation for provocation's sake pure and simple.

"When asked to comment on joint statement of the Police Union of Serbia and right-wing movement Dveri, Dačić asked the reporters whether Dveri was banned..."

It is one of the oldest tricks in the world, you answer a question with another question, when you don't want to answer the original question.
By the way, how many right wing movements are there in Serbia? This Dveri, the first time I hear about it. Or is it that they get outlawed often and the people there form a new one, change name until that one gets outlawed too? The business of right wing movements?

The gay pride parade is an absurd concept!
Why must some individuals feel the need to parade their sexual orientation?
Should we also have a Heterosexual pride parade?
What right does one group have over any other?!

Im sure the majority of Serbs have nothing against what an individual does with his or her partner behind closed doors, but to openly display this in public is lude behaviour, and a slap in the face of many people who find this behaviour immoral or offensive.
So why provoke it?

If Serbia wants to join the EU then it needs to grow up and start becoming a more tolerant society.

Karadjordje would turn in his grave if he knew Serbia would allow a gay pride parade.

Let's stick to our values and our real pride; that is, the pride of our history & the pride of a Serbian family consisting of a man and a woman making love to reproduce.

Just because New York passes a law for Gay marriage and the Mayor of Berlin is gay & gay clubs thrive in Germany & other European countries, it doesn't mean that Serbia should start to follow any other country.

The majority of people find the parading of homosexuality offensive, especially in public. So why does Serbia need to tolerate this parade?

why do they have to go and let everyone know their sexuality by having a parade? It just doesn't make sense.

I pray to God that Serbia doesn't fall in the same trap these other countries are falling into where they start losing the values that their country has been built on over the past 1000+ years.

Or they should go and have their pride parade through the streets of Pristina where they will be happily accepted and 'cheered' for.

This Dveri, the first time I hear about it. Or is it that they get outlawed often and the people there form a new one, change name until that one gets outlawed too? The business of right wing movements?
(Reader, 23 September 2011 16:59)

Dveri has actually been around since 99' my friend. They were formed by Belgrade University students who realized that the Milosevic government was not the way to go, but more importantly the opposition at the time (current regime) would not bring any positive changes to Serbia either. They were most correct.

They have served as a NGO in support of family values, Serbian families having more children in order to increase our birth rate and are against genetically modified foods...but I guess that makes them far right?

There is no reason they should be banned. In fact, something b92 failed to publish in their article on Dveri yesterday is Dveri specifically said all those who strongly oppose this pride parade do NOT take it out no the police officers by provoking violence, that is the last thing we want. They are not based of ultra nationalism and violence but rather common sense and are only considered "far right" because they do not take orders from Brussels or Washington.

As far as Dacic wanting to call of the parade..it is not because he is concerned about the safety of his police officers, or even about the safety of the paraders. He is worried that the police will not follow his orders. And authority becomes authority no more when you give out an order that cannot and is not followed. Then your authority is useless and thus the governments authority is no more. It's all politics, policemen are respected in Serbian society. If policemen refuse to obey orders that would be a serious blow to the current regime.

I personally don't get with the point of holding a parade based on sexual orientation. You parade in the streets in front of everyone how you like to have sex? Is that not a bit disgusting. Meanwhile, what exactly are you parading for? Homophobia in Serbia will not decrease if you try to shove your homosexuality in people's faces by parading on public streets. Meanwhile you have all the rights as other Serbian citizens. You have the right to a house, you have the right to protection and safety. Any of those who harm you are charged by the law...what exactly are you parading for? And what exactly do you hope to achieve with this parade?

Strong supporter of Dveri Srpske

If the gays in Serbia had any morality thay would join the nationalists and protest this treasonous governemt of Tadic which is destroying the country, instead they have foolishly let themselves be manipulated by foreign anti Serbian forces. It would be nice to see some patriotism from Serbia's gay community for a change.

Stefan is right that under normal circumstances, in a democracy, citizens have the right to organise and hold parades and demonstrations as long as they behave.

But these are not normal circumstances, and the comment in the article that the EU and other international bodies are watching this event closely bears this out, as well as demonstrating just how petty and pathological certain powerful elements in the West have become.

This parade has less to do with gay and lesbian rights and more to do with a vindictive attempt to demonise Serbia. Homophobes exist everywhere, no more or less in the Balkans.

Holding this parade is the new geopolitical equivalent of a beta monkey showing deference to an alpha one after a confrontation. It amounts to the same thing.

Either give it the protection this parade deserves or not.

One has to question what this dithering and contradiction of the government is really about.

I'm more inclined to believe that for the last few months the whole, shouold it occur, should their be security debate has been about controlling the masses. Have them distracted by this while those in power do god knows what while the masses are distracted.

Ivica talks a lot of sense.
You should listen to him.
If there was a referendum, 00.9% of people in Serbia would be against the Parade.

Finally true democracy at work.

I hope there won't be any blood and it will be peaceful. If not for an other reason - just to see the face of the biggest troll on B92 who in secret WANTS the blood to flow in rivers - just to blame everything Serbian and Russian afterwards.

Loser.

Public order is the most important thing, among with religion. Many countries therefore have religious polica, also known as the Mutaweens. I think this is also a good idea for Serbia.

If you want to know more about the origins and ideology of Dveri srpske, read this recent analysis by Peščanik (04.09.2011)

[link]/
(Посматрач, 24 September 2011 04:46)

Thanks - looks like an other "Jobbik" for me, earlier or later with "Serbian" (and not "Magyar") Gárda. Losers, going nowhere. What is also to expect from a "radical left" mixing with "radical right".

If you want to know more about the origins and ideology of Dveri srpske, read this recent analysis by Peščanik (04.09.2011)

http://pescanik.net/content/view/7440/158/

Strong supporter of Dveri Srpske
(Ari Gold, 23 September 2011 18:36)

Thank you for the information Ari, really informative. One more question if you don't mind, do Serbs in the diaspora have the right to vote? Or are those traitors in Belgrade too scared of you? thanks.

These parades are already succeeding in their aim. The oxygen of publicity is already working in their favour. Resisting these parades will eventually ensure that they become fully established as an annual event.

The point of the parades is to raise awareness that approximately 10% of the population want the same freedoms as the other 90%. The facts is that these parades will not stop - whether we like them or not. Eventually that awareness will creep into the population. People are not actually that bothered and do not really want to spend their time worrying about suppressing minorities.

My suggestion is to simply let people have the parade and then simply go home. When all is quite, the issue will disappear - boredom will set in, and the pride parades will stop because they are no longer necessary.

why should diaspora Serbs have a right to vote in Serbia? They don't live here. Serbia doesn't exist for the pleasure of their sentimentality. It's a real place where real people live. The people who live there should decide what's best for them, not some Serber-than-Serbs from Australia.