Are traditional European values ​​to beat girls?

Vanja Stokić, a journalist and activist, is one of the people who was injured on 18th of March in Banja Luka in an attack by hooligans on activists of the "BH Pride Parade". She told N1 how everything unfolded, saying that Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, and Draško Stanivuković, the mayor of Banja Luka, were responsible for this. Stokić told N1 that she arrived with her boyfriend in front of the premises of Transparency International, where the attack took place, to support and greet her friends - activists. She says that at that moment she found them sitting on the stairs, while at the same time the police approached and told them to disperse and that they were not safe in that place. "Then people from the surrounding houses started gathering and at that moment there were no police or hooligans. In front of the two houses that were located next to Transparency International, a lot of people, boys and girls, came out and they were all on the phone. It was very strange to me and I told that to my fellow activists. Then a police vehicle came and parked in front of Transparency International, and I thought that they came there to protect us, more precisely, the activists. However, one guy shouted 'here they are' and I saw a group of 20 to 30 hooligans running towards us. Some had hoods, scarves, and I couldn't recognize anyone, but admittedly I don't know these people. They carried metal clubs and glass bottles. The people from the 'Pride Parade' and me and my boyfriend scattered in all directions, my boyfriend pulled me to one side, however, I saw that I would not succeed and that they would catch up with me, and very naively I turned into the yard where the locals were, that group of men who was on the phone. I stood next to them thinking that they would protect me, however, they pushed me and said 'you are not ours, you are theirs'. At that moment, the hooligans were closer and the locals literally handed me over to them. They gave them a sign and said 'she's theirs' and pointed at me", Stokić told N1. They started walking towards her, but she tried to run to her boyfriend, who was hit on the head with a glass bottle at that moment. "One of the attackers grabbed me and threw me back into that yard, and the difference in level is about a meter. I also tore my elbow and hurt my knee a little and that's the only injury I have. After that, the hooligans went to the yard where I was, but these men told them that it was their place where they lived and chased them away. I thought that I would be safe there, however, those men also demanded that I leave and persistently repeated 'go away', 'get away from here', 'you are not ours, you are theirs'. My glasses fell off, I couldn't see anything, people were fighting around me, I was trying to find my boyfriend, I didn't succeed, I was looking for glasses, the man from that yard didn't give them to me, I couldn't find them. I was afraid in what condition I would find my boyfriend, he received another blow to the head, he is relatively well and fortunately they did not manage to knock him to the ground", she pointed out. She stated that they tried to return in front of Transparency International to help the other activists and, as she says, they found a police car there. "The police were there and we said that only 100 meters away was an attack by hooligans who beat people, but they did not react. We asked them again if they heard us correctly and that the hooligans were beating people, to stop them, but they told us something to the effect that it was none of their business. We asked them to say their names, however, they didn't, we wrote down the license plates of their vehicle and last night we told the inspectors, but I don't expect anything to happen, that they will be punished or that they will find the perpetrators," Stokić added. In the emergency room, she and her boyfriend were diagnosed with injuries. "When we got all the certificates about the injuries, we gave a statement to the Police Administration about everything that happened to us, they were fair to us, they seemed to understand, but I'm not optimistic. I don't believe they will find the perpetrators, the city is covered with cameras, faces can be detected, but I believe they will find and tell us some excuse why they failed. For all this, I blame Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska and Draško Stanivuković, the mayor of Banjaluka, as well as 13 organizations that wrote to them asking them to ban the 'Pride Parade'. The community is persistently told to take refuge in its four walls, and this also means that they are not safe in those four walls. Although the walk did not take place, it seems that the presence of activists also bothered them, so they chased them out of their town. Milorad Dodik and Draško Stanivuković fueled this atmosphere with their statements. Today, Stanivuković says that he is sorry for the attack, but that Banjaluka will remain a bastion of traditional values. I now ask him if these traditional values ​​are to beat girls in the streets? That group of activists who were attacked last night were mostly women, how are you not ashamed?" asked a visibly upset Stokić at the end of the interview. The abhorent attack happend after BH Pride was prohibited and was not held. Vanja Stokić and Ajdin Kamber were evacuated from Banja Luka under police escort to ensure their safety. The Steering Committee of the Association of Journalists of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHN) said in a statement that the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the Mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanovuković, should bear responsibility for the attacks on journalists and civil society activists, due to their regular opposition to the activities of the LGBTQ community in Banja Luka, and frequent public comments inciting violent rhetoric towards journalists and activists. Photo: N1