THE WALL IN THE PARK NEAR ‘MITIĆEVA RUPA’ (MITIĆ’S HOLE) GETS A LEGAL MURAL/INSTITUTE ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY

30 Mar THE WALL IN THE PARK NEAR ‘MITIĆEVA RUPA’ (MITIĆ’S HOLE) GETS A LEGAL MURAL/INSTITUTE ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY

KROKODIL Association received an interesting letter today. It came as a response to our inquiry about cooperation and was signed by Dr. Jasmina Stevanović, director of the Institute for Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, which is located in a publicly owned building at Njegoševa 12. The side wall of this building, which overlooks the playground in the park near Mitić’s hole, was vandalized several times, after which the Institute never reacted in a legally binding manner, which mandates the urgent restoration of the external appearance of the wall to its original state.

To KROKODIL’s call for cooperation and the joint design and realization of a mural that would be adapted to an institution of national importance as well as to the children’s playground towards which the wall in question faces and for which one of the leading street artists in our country would be hired, we received the answer that the Institute has already taken all measures to remove the writing on the mentioned wall as well as for the realization of a mural with famous figures from the world of science, specifically chemistry, technology and metallurgy, which we fully support.

The Institute’s response further states:

“Faced with the destruction and damage of part of the facade by unknown persons, immediately after removing the scaffolding, the Institute decided to paint a mural on the part of the building’s facade that was damaged by graffiti. The mural will have appropriate content related to the science and the most important Serbian scientists from the Institute’s field of activity.

The Institute conducted the appropriate procedure and selected a contractor for the creation of the mural. The final conceptual design of the mural on the theme of science and the most important Serbian scientists from the Institute’s field of activity is in progress. The final design will be approved for painting by the Institute for Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, as well as by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the City of Belgrade, in accordance with the law“, the letter states.

We remind you that on the initiative of the KROKODIL Association and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, on February 18th 2023, a legal civil action was organized to clean the park and paint the facade of the mentioned building white, which was followed by a series of insults, threats of mutilation, sexual violence and death, and direct attacks on citizens and representatives of organizations that implemented the action. Despite the permits for holding the action, the activists received misdemeanor charges because, as the charges state, “by applying white paint to the white wall, they damaged the external appearance of the building.” On Saturday, March 18, football fan groups and other members of the extreme right in a group of about thirty people repainted the inscription “Kad se vojska na Kosovo vrati” (When the army returns to Kosovo) on the aforementioned wall without permission in the middle of the day, and no police activity was recorded on that occasion. As part of this action, not only the side wall of the Institute was vandalized again, but also the nearby trees were painted with toxic colors in the colors of the Serbian flag, which directly threatens the greenery of the city park, whose well-being we are just as interested in as the well-being of our little ones, who must remain spared from such violence. as well as any political messages in the space that is undoubtedly intended for them.