People power. Activists in Istria fight back against the recently imposed wire fence imposed by Slovenia which has disrupted local border life.
Residents of the Upper Matulji area in Istria decided to use civil disobedience in order to respond to the barbed wire fence which Slovenian authorities are constructing on the border between Slovenia and Croatia. The activities of the Slovenian Army have upset the residents of Rupa, Pasjak and other border towns, and some of them have decided to “strike back”. They launched a “sabotage mission” in the border area and removed parts of the razor blade fence, which the Slovenian government is allegedly setting up to stop the refugee “inflow” through “undefended parts of the demarcation line”, although this area is not part of the migrant route, reports Liburnija.net and Vecernji List on Deember 16, 2015.
People from the Rupa area, who have returned to their town equipped with “souvenirs” from their “retaliation raid”, are not the only ones protesting against actions by the Slovenian Government. In Slovenian capital Ljubljana, a large protest of intellectuals against border fence was held. Also, inhabitants of Slovenian border towns have protested against the fence in areas next to the Kupa river.
Representatives of the animal rights groups have also criticized the fence, because wild animals often become victims of sharp razor wires. Therefore, members of various hunting clubs have announced that they will regularly inspect the border, in order to check for dead and injured animals in their areas.
Croatian Member of European Parliament Ivan Jakovčić, who is a member of Istrian IDS party, spoke yesterday at the plenary session about the decision of Slovenian government to build a razor wire fence along the Croatian-Slovenian border. He urged MEPs to support the citizens on both sides of the border who are opposed to such a move which threatens the traditional good-neighbourly relations and normal life in the border region, especially in Istria and Gorski Kotar.
“I strongly support the efforts of the European Commission to strengthen the Frontex border agency. We have to protect our external borders and strengthen controls. But, I want to inform you about very unpleasant events on the border between the two member states: Croatia and Slovenia. The intention of the Slovenian Government to erect a razor wire fence along the border, from the Mura river to the Adriatic Sea, is totally unacceptable. I am happy that many Slovenian and Croatian citizens jointly oppose such an initiative. It is amazing that the fence is being put up even in the areas which migrants will never use. I am talking about the Istria and Gorski Kotar regions. I invite you to help us and enable the citizens on both sides of the border to live a more peaceful and safer life”, Jakovčić concluded.
