Serbian Parliament Session Devolves Into MP's Lighting Flares and Launching Smoke Grenades at Each Other
In some countries, the United States for example, when one political party knows they're about to lose out on a decision, or if they're not happy with the way a vote is about to turn out, sometimes as a last ditch effort they'll attempt a filibuster. They figure if they can take the floor and talk about anything at all for hours on end, maybe their opponents will just get tired of waiting around and they'll just say fuck it and leave before they ever get to vote. Maybe they'll care more catching a dinner reservation than voting to rename steaks.
But apparently in Serbia, instead of filibustering, members of parliament just throw smoke bombs at the opposition. A genius move if you ask me. If parliament is completely filled with smoke, how will they ever be able to see who's voting for what? The plan is foolproof.
For those interested in this story beyond just gawking at some Eastern European politicians, Serbia is in the midst of some major protests. There's a lot of pissed off Serbians these days. Well... I imagine most Serbians wake up pissed off regardless of the political climate. Nikola Jokic managed to be pissed off after winning the NBA Championship and learning he'd have a parade thrown in his honor.
But right now, Serbian's are directing their piss at politicians. At last a large group of them are. The protests stem from back in November when 15 people were killed after a train station roof collapsed in the city of Novi Sad.
Citizens are blaming their government for doing cheap, shotty renovations on the train station. Saying this never would have happened under a competent government. Ever since then, there have been massive protests across the country. They're demanding someone be held accountable. Here's an article on a protest that happened this past weekend.
AP - Tens of thousands of people in Serbia gathered on Saturday for a huge student-led rally that vowed to turn the troubled, populist-run Balkan country into a free nation of justice and rule of law, while sending a message that “We deserve better.”
University students in the Balkan country that has been ruled firmly by a right-wing, pro-Russia government for over a decade have been holding nationwide protests since the fatal train station canopy collapse in November that killed 15 people and which critics blame on government corruption.
The almost daily protests regularly draw tens of thousands of people and have rattled President Aleksandar Vucic’s firm grip on power.
“We want the (state) institutions that work in the interest of all of us and not to our damage,” the students said in a statement. “We want a system that values knowledge and work, and not obedience and silence.”
Pretty good turnout, Serbia. Nobody can say you don't know how to rally a pissed off crowd. The protests have resulted Serbia's sitting Prime Minister Miloš Vučević announcing that he will step down from his position. But the resignation hasn't yet been confirmed by parliament. In the meantime, they continue to pass laws. Naturally, people don't like that. They want the current regime to stop trying to pass laws on their way out the door and get on with Vučević's resignation.
AP - At least three lawmakers were injured on Tuesday, one of them seriously, after chaotic scenes in Serbia ’s parliament, during which smoke bombs and flares were thrown, further fueling political tensions in the Balkan country.
Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on a law that would increase funding for university education, but opposition parties said the ruling majority was also planning to approve dozens of other decisions. They said that was illegal and that lawmakers should first confirm the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his government.
Hence the flare guns, smoke grenades, the banner that reads "Serbia rises up to bring down the regime", and citizens who were reportedly standing outside parliament hurling eggs at the door.
So I learned something new about Serbia this morning. Eastern Europe is always good for viral parliament chaos videos every now and then. If you go to YouTube and type in [any Eastern European country] + parliament fight, you'll find no shortage of examples. Especially in Turkey. If you want to pass any sort of legislation in Turkey, you're going to have to throw hands with a member of the opposing party.
That's just how you get shit done east of Germany. If you want better funding for university education, you gotta be willing to take a punch for it. Honestly, that might not be the worse precedent to set. Hockey has policed itself with fighting for years. Maybe congress could benefit from enforcers as well.