We’ve Got To Rock This Boat

Vreme: What is “Resistance”?

Hristodulo: It’s a campaign. It rallies activists of various student organizations, unions, federations and faculties. The first organized action came from the faculty of electrotechnic studies (ETF). Their union was behind the action the whole time.

Judging by what has happened so far, one could come to the conclusion that the SDO is the key Resistance organization.

It isn’t. The daily Blic said that we organized the whole thing, because our four members were arrested. Other media, such as Dnevni Telegraf and the B 92 radio, followed suit. We liked the campaign and we accepted it. We will take part in it as individuals, perhaps as an organization too, but it involves lots of other people from various parties and student organizations. Resistance is not an organization or a formal activity. Other organizations don’t join in, individual activists do. We want a broad popular movement rather than an organization rallying students only. I think it is fair to leave faculty matters of the campaign to student organizations. I know that I won’t take any part in activities organized by the Belgrade University because everybody would think that a new political party is being formed if I showed up. “Resistance” is a great campaign because it will link all those student factions.

How did “Resistance” come about?

I remember receiving a letter two weeks ago. It contained “suggestions to rock the boat at Belgrade University”.  There was a timetable pointing out which particular university should rock the boat on a given day. Only the ETF did it on its own, others started slowly but are coming alive now. After some attempts at the Law School, the clenched fist and other advertising signs came about. It was Rastko Cejic’s work. A press sector has been formed, led by Jovan Ratkovic and the marketing department. That’s when the crisis committee came about. There is also a coordinating body, to coordinate the work of all activists at various faculties.

The crisis committee resembles the Initiative Board of the 1996 winter protest while the coordinating body resembles the Main Board. The division was carried out quite deliberately, so that the whole thing resembles the protest.

What is the objective?

To rock the boat at Belgrade University because of the new law on the media and the law on Belgrade University. We want to help the people who have been made to suffer by these laws. The whole campaign started immediately after the threat of NATO air strikes had diminished. However, so many things are happening simultaneously that we are forced to move from one subject to another on a daily basis. Goals and objectives are defined on a daily basis. Some people want to bring down the regime, others want to win a few mandates, while most want a better life. It’s all connected. In any case, it’s obvious that what we’re doing is acceptable for many people because many people have joined in. The crisis committee is still discussing what action should be taken at the faculties. It hasn’t turned down the possibility of a broad popular movement, but only when more people join in.

But there isn’t a clearly defined goal, meaning that confrontations will come imminently, sooner or later.

That’s true. However, the feeling and the motive of working together is much stronger than the things that had come between us. People are trying to forget the past and work together. But, you never know. Some people were very angry with me because they thought I was trying to promote the SDO through the media. We knew that would happen. We knew we would be related to the “Resistance” although we wanted to act independently at first. For instance, we wanted to form an anti-fascist front. However, we knew we had to rock the boat and make up when Marina and Teodora were arrested.

Are you aware how much publicity has been attributed to the entire campaign with the arrests?

Yes, it blew the whole thing sky high.

Whereas, in fact, it was an accidental arrest as it wasn’t planned by anyone?

That depends who interprets it. Rastko Cejic will tell you that there were 50 cops who tapped us and went looking for us all over the Dorcol area. That’s a good story for the foreign media, but that’s not what happened.

Therefore, it would be unwise to stick to that story?

That’s why I am being honest about it and saying that they were arrested by a patrolling unit.

Do you intend to use arrests for your cause?

I hadn’t really thought about it until our four colleague were arrested. We have a group of our own that wanted to do the same thing, but they are a bit more organized. Each and every member knew in what garbage bin the graffiti spray was hidden, we had three couples in love as a front…

Basically, Belgrade University is waiting for the ETF general strike to begin?

That’s right. The warning strike ends on Monday, November 16, meaning that the general strike will start on Tuesday. The professors insisted that everything should be done by the book. The students are far more radical, but they accepted the initiative because they respect their professors. If the students become too radical, the professors will step back and so will the hesitant students. The radical ones would be left alone. That could lead to a revolution and a student takeover of the faculties, but it might not. If the whole thing comes to nothing, we will all get screwed.