PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) – Several thousand people gathered in Montenegro on Monday, accusing the young country’s new government of being Serbian because of its plans to amend a religious property law strongly opposed by the Church Serbian Orthodox.
Carrying Montenegrin flags and singing “Betrayal”, protesters gathered in front of the parliament building in Podgorica, the capital, where lawmakers plan to discuss the proposed changes.
The demonstration was the small Balkan country’s first major protest against the coalition government that came to power after the opposition won a narrow majority over a long-running pro-Western party during the August parliamentary elections.
Religious property law was an issue in the election. The Serbian Orthodox Church claimed that the law was designed to deprive the church of its property, which the previous government denied. The church led months of protests that helped strengthen the opposition ahead of the election.
Montenegro declared independence from a union with Serbia after a 2006 referendum. Residents of the country remain divided over relations with Belgrade. About 30% of Montenegrins identify as Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church enjoys the most important followers of any organized religion.
The previous government, led by the Socialist Democratic Party, distanced Montenegro from the influence of Serbia and Russia. The Adriatic nation joined NATO in 2017 and seeks membership in the European Union.
Participants in Monday’s rally criticized the new government’s plan to repeal parts of the religious law that dealt with property. They accused the government of preparing the groundwork for the “occupation” of Montenegro.
It was not immediately clear when the parliamentary vote on the amendment to the law will take place.
Despite calls for adherence to measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, protesters gathered, many without masks. Montenegro has reported 666 virus deaths in a nation of 620,000 people.