Issue and Opponent: In 2015, the public in Belgrade, Serbia was dissatisfied with the Waterfront objectives proposed by PM Aleksander Vuvic, as they would block some of the city’s best views of the waterfront. The permits issued to continue with the project have been reported to be tied to the corruption of Serbian officials. Night-time demolition of sites along the river took the public by surprise, and it was a widely held belief that the Serbian government needed to be held accountable for destroying the historic and scenic environment of the waterfront.
Dilemma Action: Protesters from the “Let’s Not Drown Belgrade” campaign used a big, yellow, rubber duck to represent the corruption of Serbian officials to the public. This action was held on the same day that the contract of the project was being signed. In Serbian slang, the word “duck” can also be interpreted as “corruption”. Although police officers did not like the imagery being set forth, the attention of the media and the public made it nearly impossible to put an end to the protest. The use of a large, inflatable symbol calling attention to Serbian corruption transforms a whimsical item into something more serious and profound. Protesters additionally carried around yellow, rubber ducks while making it known that they did not want to development to occur, as it would be overtaken by the rich and turned into a private pond. ‘
Outcome: The protest place the development and the officials backing it into a lose-lose situation if they ignored the protester’s claims it would be clear that the only reason the development continued was because of government corruption. The goal of the action was to hold government officials accountable for their actions and call for pro-democracy measures. The construction of the waterfront project continues despite public dissatisfaction, but it is tied to corruption scandals and has been considered the “Dubai of the Balkans.”