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BelgianMadCow

(5,379 posts) Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:28 PM Feb 2014

Class War In Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Government Is On Fire

When the ruling elite from Bosnia and Herzegovina inflicted general poverty on and ruined the lives of thousands of workers in Tuzla - also privatizing 4 major factories – people took it to the streets, setting government and presidential buildings on fire. The cantonal government resigned, and a hunt has already started to replace it. The protests are against capitalists irrespective their ethnic identity, and against all nationalism and political parties, since politicians are considered by people to be all the same and part of the ruling oligarchy. People look at government buildings in ruins and say “politicians earned it.” This is not so surprising considering Bosnia’s unemployment rate of 30%.

In less than 24 hours, solidarity protests erupted in the Croat-Muslim half of Bosnia and Herzegovina: government offices and the presidency in Sarajevo were set on fire, and the same happened in Zenica. People flooded the streets in Bihac, too, and later hundreds took it to the streets in Banja Luka, the capital of the Serb half of the country. “We are all citizens of Bosnia and we all have the same difficult lives here,” one of the organisers Aleksandar Zolja of the rally in Banja Luca told the rally.

Interesting. This started three days ago. Not a religious or ethnic fault line at the base of this process.

More, including the burning government buildings, at revolution news.

6 replies

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Class War In Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Government Is On Fire (Original Post) BelgianMadCow Feb 2014 OP

The elite tried to throw the frog into boiling water instead of slowly turning the heat up with the factsarenotfair Feb 2014 #1

The story that I've witnessed first hand BelgianMadCow Feb 2014 #2

And this is NEVER on the evening network news. n/t factsarenotfair Feb 2014 #4

How many centuries have the parasites been play this game on them? Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #3

Interesting that you mention parasites. I just saw a speech by IMF chief Lagarde BelgianMadCow Feb 2014 #5

That anybody at that level is saying things like this is hopeful. Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #6

factsarenotfair

(910 posts)

1. The elite tried to throw the frog into boiling water instead of slowly turning the heat up with the

Reply to BelgianMadCow (Original post)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:37 PM

Feb 2014

frog in the pot, like our rulers have been doing.

BelgianMadCow

(5,379 posts)

2. The story that I've witnessed first hand

Reply to factsarenotfair (Reply #1)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:44 PM

Feb 2014

billionaire Blair fiend Mittal buying up steel mills on the cheap in firesale privatisation drives in eastern Europe, then restoring them using EU funds, or close them and sell the assets. In the meantime, usually the pension fund is thrown overboard.

factsarenotfair

(910 posts)

4. And this is NEVER on the evening network news. n/t

Reply to BelgianMadCow (Reply #2)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:53 PM

Feb 2014

Egalitarian Thug

(12,448 posts)

3. How many centuries have the parasites been play this game on them?

Reply to BelgianMadCow (Original post)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:48 PM

Feb 2014

It is good to see people figuring it out and acting on the reality.

BelgianMadCow

(5,379 posts)

5. Interesting that you mention parasites. I just saw a speech by IMF chief Lagarde

Reply to Egalitarian Thug (Reply #3)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 07:56 PM

Feb 2014

and she was saying 95% of the gains have gone to the 1 % in the US, which has returned to inequality levels last seen before the great depression. She then went on to state the need for a new or revised monetary system, in which banks again serve the real economy and not themselves, and called for the Bretton Woods spirit to multilaterally solve the issue.

That made me think of how Richard Wolff describes the current financial sector as parasitical - serving itself, weakening the host. It also made me think, huh, is Lagarde going OWS? Weird times we live in. She definitely ruled out the neoliberal idea of markets uber alles. Well, it's only words of course, but still.

Egalitarian Thug

(12,448 posts)

6. That anybody at that level is saying things like this is hopeful.

Reply to BelgianMadCow (Reply #5)

Sat Feb 8, 2014, 08:06 PM

Feb 2014

I also happen to agree with the concept, so I'm biased, but the fact that at least 40% of our "economy" comes from an "industry" that produces nothing and works constantly to make everything worse should clearly demonstrate that significant changes are required if we are to continue.

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