There are probably a lot of countries where you can get arrested for burning a flag of some country. Serbia is not one of them, according to the constitution. However…
Ratibor Trivunac was arrested for burning a flag of the United States after all. Ten days in prison, says the judge. Amazing, ain’t it? Only a year after almost nobody got arrested for burning the American embassy, a guy gets arrested for burning the American flag, even though it’s not punishable by law.
My opinion on burning flags is similar to that of Bill Hicks, a sane man:
Now I may not agree with most or any of opinions of the organization the guy who burned the flag represents, but I’d hate to see him get punished for burning a flag, and I’ll tell you why: I believe there is one thing worse than communist state and nationalist state put together and that’s a stupid state. I am starting to believe that Serbia is one of those.
UPDATE: another guy got arrested the same day, this time for reading a prayer out loud near Terazije fountain: http://pedja.supurovic.net/uhapsen-jer-je-citao-molitvu-naglas-na-javnom-mestu
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, I don’t think he should actually go to jail for burning a piece of cloth, even more so now that you confirm it’s not actually illegal to burn flags in Serbia.
A friend’s colleague was in town that day and saw an old lady selling American flags, she overheard someone asking her how much they were. Tthe old lady said, “These ones are 100 dinars, and they burn wonderfully”….
Didn’t the guy pull the flag down from a pole? As much as I cherish the freedom of speech, pulling a flag from a pole (that isn’t yours) and burning it is wrong, period.
‘a year after almost nobody got arrested for burning the american embassy…’
lololol!! at least our priorities are straight.
but seriously, you can’t go to jail for burning american flag EVEN IN AMERICA. how’s this possible? what was the legal justification?
Self-correction – the guy bought the flag himself, he didn’t pull it down, my bad.
Unequivocal shame. Can’t ‘they’ get the balance right?
He didn’t even pinch any shoes.
Here’s a new act of stupid state of Serbia, people: another guy gets arrested, this time for reading a prayer in the street. http://pedja.supurovic.net/uhapsen-jer-je-citao-molitvu-naglas-na-javnom-mestu.
The Serbian government is getting more and more tyrannical. So where are all the protesters against government abuse and deprivations of freedom of speech and such? Seems Serbs only have an organized protest if the CIA is behind (Otpor, for example) it to remove patriotic Serbs or a government which isn’t servile to all western demands.
The writer of this article has no idea what is a communist state since we have never had one. Oh yes he will tell us USSR, China or Cuba and the like were are communist states. Total ignorance on the writer’s part. As for the gentleman burning the American flag he needs to get a medal. Flags of any nation that has started over fifty wars in the past fifty years need to be burned on every corner in every nation. The mistake he made he should have wrapped it around the garbage that is running the Serbian government and then set it on fire. It amazes me that theses people want to kiss American government ass so that they can get a visit from the criminals that run that country. This government in Belgrade is supported by many Serbs who kiss Croatian ass so that they can get wet in the Adriatic.