2021 Montenegrin episcopal enthronement protests

2021 Montenegrin episcopal enthronement protests
2021 Montenegrin episcopal enthronement protests
Part of Montenegrin nationalist protests
	Protesters blocking the road on 5 September 2021
Date	4–5 September 2021; (1 day)
Location	Cetinje, Montenegro
Caused by	Opposition to the enthronement of Metropolitan Joanikije II in Cetinje Monastery as the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral; Opposition to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC);
Goals	Relocation of the enthronement
Methods	Protests, riots, barricades, civil disobedience
Resulted in	Serbian Orthodox Church and government′s victory; Enthronement held in Cetinje Monastery, albeit in a controversial manner; Political crisis and crisis within the Krivokapić government, which ultimately resulted in its downfall in February 2022.;
Parties
Anti-church protesters Nationalists; Liberals; Opposition parties Democratic Party of Socialists ; Social Democratic Party ; Social Democrats ; Patriotic Komitas Union ;	Government of Montenegro Law enforcement; Ministry of Defence; Serbian Orthodox Church Supporting parties Democratic Front ; Democratic Montenegro ; Socialist People's Party ; True Montenegro ;
Lead figures
	Milo Đukanović; Veselin Veljović Zdravko Krivokapić; Dritan Abazović; Joanikije Mićović; Porfirije Perić

A series of violent protests against the enthronement of Joanikije Mićović of the Serbian Orthodox Church as the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral took place at the historic Cetinje Monastery in September 2021.

The protests in Cetinje, supported by president of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, followed the unresolved issues over which the previous clerical protests (2019–2020) and the contemporaneous nationalist protests had been held. The protesters were overcome by the police that fired rubber bullets, tear gas and detonated shock bombs, while the enthronement presided over by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije Perić was held without the previously planned gathering of the faithful. Mićović and Perić were transported towards the monastery by helicopter and were then surrounded by armed men and shielded with bullet-proof blankets, an operation executed by a special police unit on the insistence of prime minister Zdravko Krivokapić.

Dozens of injuries were reported. Following the enthronement, by mid-September 2021, divisions within the Krivokapić Cabinet led some of the ruling coalition members such as the Democratic Front and Democratic Montenegro to demand that the government be reconstructed or a snap election be held.

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