The anti-Turkish rally in Podgorica on October 28. Photo: Newsmax Balkans.
Hundreds of people, many dressed in black and wearing hoods and masks, demonstrated near the Montenegrin government building in Podgorica late on Tuesday, chanting “Turks, get out!” and lighting flares, as ethnic tensions escalated following a stabbing incident involving foreign nationals.
Police detained 11 people, including nine minors who allegedly intended to join the protest. They were caught in possession of a flare, masks and marijuana, the Police Directorate said.
The demonstration came after the government temporarily suspended its visa-free regime for Turkish citizens, citing public safety concerns. The measure followed a violent incident in Podgorica’s Zabjelo neighbourhood, in which, police said, three Azerbaijani and one Turkish national were involved in stabbing a 25-year-old local man. Police arrested one Azerbaijani and one Turkish citizen over the stabbing and detained around 40 Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals for questioning.
Montenegro’s government, which is dominated by pro-Serbian parties, said the visa suspension, effective from Thursday, aims to “preserve public order and the safety of all citizens”.
The stabbing incident sparked unrest across Montenegro. In Podgorica, Bar, and Herceg Novi, several business premises owned by Turkish citizens have been vandalized or set on fire in recent days.
The government has sought to reassure Turkish citizens living in Montenegro. “The government … remains fully mindful of the interests and status of approximately 14,000 Turkish nationals currently residing in the country and will take all necessary steps to ensure their stay remains lawful and undisturbed,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Turkish embassy in Podgorica said in a statement on October 28 that the Turkish government had “conveyed its message to Montenegrin authorities, to protect the rights and security of Turkish citizens” in the country. “The Montenegrin side reassured us that necessary measures will be taken,” the embassy said.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said his government wished to maintain “good bilateral relations” with Ankara and will “initiate intensive talks with … Turkey to find the best model of cooperation in the spirit of partnership and mutual interest”, he wrote on X.
But opposition parties and human rights groups condemned both the government’s response and the wave of anti-Turkish sentiment.
The European Alliance, an opposition bloc, said in a statement that “the stabbing of our innocent fellow citizen deserves the harshest condemnation and a swift, decisive response by the competent authorities … But what must never be the response of a responsible government is to spread collective hysteria and incite hatred against an entire nation.”
It added that “the government’s inability to ensure the safety of its own citizens is being concealed by spreading hate and calls for the lynching of all Turkish nationals temporarily residing in Montenegro”.
The Police Directorate on Monday held an emergency meeting to discuss security measures for all foreign nationals in Montenegro.