Thumbs Up activists “spoil” Serbia’s Statehood Day celebration in Brussels

The ceremony was attended by representatives from Serbia’s Mission to the European Union (EU), the Mission to NATO, the Serbian Embassy in Belgium, and members of the Serbian diaspora. In keeping with tradition, guests were served the customary welcome of bread and salt, accompanied by homemade rakia.

During the event, activists from the Belgian-based Serbian diaspora organization Palac Gore (Thumbs Up) staged an ad-hoc protest. Their goal, they said, was to thwart a perceived attempt “to project a false image of Serbia, as if everything back home is okay.”

“A significant number of our activists were present to show the true face of Serbia: that the Constitution is being ignored and the rule of law is non-existent, but also that our numbers are growing and their time is running out. Accordingly, we showed them a red card!” the Brussels-based group said.

During the demonstration, activists carried banners and “bloody hand” symbols, while there was also a brief verbal altercation between the protesters and the Head of the Serbian Mission to the EU, Danijel Apostolovic, as well as the Serbian Ambassador to Belgium, Aleksandar Tasic.

Serbian media outlets reported on the dressing of the Manneken Pis and carried statements from the government officials who attended, however, they made no mention of the Thumbs Up protest that took place at the same event.