Protesters gather in Montenegro to demand ouster of top security officials following mass shooting

PODGORICA, Montenegro — Several thousand people gathered in Montenegro on Sunday to demand the resignation of top security officials following a shooting earlier this week that left 12 people dead, including two children.

Cries of “Resignations” and “Killers,” demonstrators in front of the Interior Ministry building in Podgorica, the capital, demanded that Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister of Security and of Defense Aleksa Bečić resign.

Milo Perović, a member of a student-led group that helped organize the rally, told the crowd that innocent people had died while they were watching.

“You failed to protect us, so resign!” » said Perovic.

Hours earlier, hundreds of people observed 12 minutes of silence for the 12 victims at a rally in Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital where the shooting took place on Wednesday. It was the second such massacre in the city in less than three years.

Many Cetinje residents and other Montenegrins believe the police have handled the situation poorly and have not done enough to increase security since the first massacre, which occurred in August 2022.

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PHOTOS: Thousands protest in Montenegro to demand ouster of top security officials following mass shooting

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Wednesday’s shooting stemmed from a bar fight. A 45-year-old man went home to get his gun before returning to the bar and opening fire. He killed four people there and eight others in various other places before committing suicide.

The massacre fueled concerns about the level of violence in Montenegrin’s politically divided society. It also raised questions about the willingness of state institutions to tackle issues, including gun ownership.

Police said the shooting was impossible to predict and prevent, even though the shooter, identified as Aco Martinović, had been convicted of violent behavior and illegal possession of weapons. His victims were mostly friends and family members.

Montenegrin authorities quickly announced a tough new gun law and other tough measures to combat illegal weapons, which are abundant in the Balkan country of about 620,000 people.

On Sunday, police said they had raided several locations across the country and confiscated around 20 weapons, more than 500 cartridges and explosives.

Protesters in Cetinje and Podgorica also demanded a “demilitarization” of the population through the destruction of illegal weapons, high taxes on weapons ownership and a moratorium on new licenses while existing licenses would be re-examined according to strict criteria .

The 2022 Cetinje attacker shot dead 10 people, including two children, before being shot by a passerby.

Maja Gardašević, a protest organizer, told the rally in Cetinje that “we came here to look for answers” ​​to several questions.

“Why did a second massacre occur in Cetinje?” » asked Gardašević. “Why is no one responsible? Why is it so difficult to resign?

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Jovana Gec contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.