Resistance – The Legacy We Inherit, the Duty We Uphold

Written by: Mr. Jovana Vuković, Montenegrin language and literature professor and communications specialist

July 13th stands as a day of dual historical significance – the recognition of Montenegro’s independence in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin, and the uprising against fascist occupation in 1941. It is a symbol of resistance, freedom, and the unbreakable fight for sovereignty. It reminds us of the courage and determination of our ancestors – and of one simple truth: resistance is the only way to truly honor their legacy.

But we must ask ourselves: where do we stand today, as a state and as a society?

Montenegro today feels fractured, worn down by those in power who seek to bring it to its knees, to diminish and humiliate it. Those who deny its very existence, who claim the Montenegrin nation is a fabrication, now sit in the highest offices of government, working to erase it.

It is up to us to show them: they will not succeed. Not today, not ever.

Montenegro is not Bećir Vuković, Veljo Stanišić, Andrija Mandić, or Milojko Spajić. It is not the chants beneath foreign flags, nor Kovačević’s raised middle finger during the national anthem, nor the falsified record of an award that was never given.

Montenegro is not resurgent fascism. It is not the darkness of medieval ideology, nor the lies of historical revisionism. It never was – and it never will be. We have defeated such twisted ideologies before. And we will defeat them again.

Resistance is in our blood. It is our heritage. It is our duty.

And let them be warned: even greater powers have shattered their strength against Montenegro.

Montenegro is her brave and free citizens – those who carry the torch of liberty through the shadows of clerical nationalism, lighting the path forward. And the dawn will come.

That is why July 13th is both a celebration and a warning – a reminder that freedom is never given, but fought for, every single day. It tells us never to back down. And it calls us to make the dream of our ancestors, an independent, sovereign, European Montenegro, the lived reality of our descendants.

Happy July 13th, to a free, proud, and undefeated Montenegro. May it live forever!