Protest of free citizens of Montenegro

A group of citizens of Podgorica is horrified by the news that, starting next week, the Cineplexx cinema will feature a film by the Russian director Julia Bočarova entitled "Christ's Swallows".
In March 2022, the European Parliament designated the Belgrade Patriarchate as an instrument for the spread of Russian malignant influence in the Western Balkans. We consider the showing of a film which, as it is already quite clear from the synopsis, was created in Putin's propaganda laboratories with the aim of glorifying the anti-civilization achievements of the Clerical Counter-Revolution in Montenegro, another provocation that seeks to destroy the multicultural, civil and secular character of Montenegrin society.
Putin's propaganda platforms, at a time of increased political destabilization of Montenegro, which is managed from Moscow and Belgrade, are promoting a false narrative about lithia, presenting them, in the spirit of totalitarian ideologies, as an idyllic "reconciliation" of the people. It is the narrative of "popular reconciliation" that is one of the mechanisms of ultra-right structures around the world, which try to impose revisionism as a new value. It is already clear today that the so-called litias marked a historic turning point for civil and secular society in Montenegro, "normalizing" discrimination, segregation, violence, messages of hatred towards any otherness, i.e. towards everyone who does not identify with the hegemonic ideology of the "Serbian world", thereby achieving continuity with political activity The Belgrade Patriarchate from the 90s of the 20th century inciting religious and national hatred, historical revisionism, inciting war crimes and genocide, and glorifying war criminals.
The very announcement of such propaganda materials is an open provocation to all people who are civic-minded and who inherit the modern values ​​of the developed world. EU values ​​and the values ​​of developed democracies fight against such phenomena.
"The director says that the goal of the film was to show not only the extent of fateful events in Montenegro, but to tell about the depth and beauty of the Orthodox Church through the history of the Serbian people and the personality of Metropolitan Amfilohi." A film about the miraculous Archbishop, Metropolitan Amfilochius of Montenegro and the Littoral, a disciple of the elders Pajsi and Justin, about the flourishing of monasticism and spirituality, about the inner feat of an ordinary man and about the miracle that happened", reads the synopsis published on the website of Podgorica's Cineplexx.
Bearing in mind the indisputable historical role of Amfilohi Radović, as one of the loudest promoters of hate speech, a person who at every step promoted xenophobia, historical revisionism, Islamophobia, homophobia, someone who called national Montenegrins "oxen" and "Đilas' bastard", Albanians " Shiptari" and murderers, Muslims to "false people of a false religion", Western civilization to "satanic" and "criminal", and barren women compared to Nazi-fascists, it is clear that propaganda films such as "The Swallows of Christ" have the role of affirming exactly anti-civilizational values ​​such as promoted by Amfilohije Radović.
As a group of citizens, we strongly protest against this role of Cineplexx. We demand the removal of the film from the repertoire and an end to such provocations, which began in April this year with the announcement of a film promoting the pro-fascist Chetnik movement (https://www.portalanalitika.me/clanak/cinplexx-povukao-film-koji-velica-cetnike) . Such actions have a direct effect on raising tensions, as well as the spread of pro-Russian and Greater Serbian propaganda, which significantly destabilizes Montenegro, the region, and will have a bad impact on the future path towards the EU. An unstable region means an unstable Europe. In this sense, it is also necessary that the competent state authorities as well as international organizations and embassies make a statement on this occasion.
In addition to the constant negation of the Montenegrin nation and the values ​​of civil society, which are spread and promoted through such propaganda platforms, and constitute one of the crudest and most dangerous forms of activity, this film and similar productions promote chauvinism, misogyny, hatred, and violence.
We will not allow such messages to spread without our clear and strong resistance.

I.B.