The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights is concerned by the increasingly frequent expressions of intolerance against citizens belonging to an ethnic or religious minority. The protest of some residents of Zemun polje, who have been trying to prevent the settlement of Roma in this Belgrade suburb by the city authorities that have been addressing the issue of favellas, is merely the latest example of such illegal and anti-civilisational conduct. Individuals, spearheaded by a so-called “crisis headquarters” feel entitled to assess who is welcome and who is unwelcome in their suburb. The BCHR would like to recall that the freedom of movement, the right to freely choose one’s residence and prohibition of discrimination are fundamental human rights, the realisation and protection of which are guaranteed by both national and international legal regulations. This is why no one, including self-styled crisis headquarters, has the right to deprive anyone of these rights whilst threatening to block the roads or forbid their children to go to school. Such conduct is not only illegal; it also sets a lethal example to the children and youths – their parents ought to teach them tolerance, not racism and intolerance. People who do not realize, who act arrogantly and violently, have no right to speak on behalf of their community or to protect its interests by advocating lynch and abusing so-called civic disobedience. We wish to believe that this feeling is shared by most residents of Zemun polje, whose dignity is tainted by the most vociferous and aggressive members of their community.
