Hooliganism and Nis
In recent years, youth groups have risen and fallen. Yet three youth groups have maintained a consistent grip on the youth's conscience throughout the generations.
There's a good chance you've heard of at least one of these youthsub cultures, and maybe even know someone who subscribes to one of them. These are, of course, the Levijahač, the Dravljana and the Vodi. Each of these subcultures can trace their history back to the founding days of Nis, and maybe even further back.
The Levijahač are youth who, upon the borders opening and the influx of foriegn media, adopted many of the calls and signatures of the punk movement. Rock music, heavy metal, dyed hair, loud motorocycles and a tendency to lean left in politics, are all hallmarks of the subculture. Custom leather jackets, often studded, are the unofficial uniform of these youth, who often brand it with left-wing slogans such as "Down with the King", "Power to the People" or "Eat the Rich". They often get into skirmishes with the police, and love to engage in protests and often contribute to foodbanks. The most notable feature of a member of a this subculture, however, is often the left hand tatoo. It is almost a form of hazing, only the most hard core Levijahač will go through with it, almost pernamently marking themselves as part of the subculture. The same tatoo parlours make a fortune tatooing onto their hands, and then another fortune when the same people come in several years later asking it to be removed.
The other group we mentioned are the Dravljana, who often prefer to refer to themselves as patriots or crusaders. Originally starting as a backlash to the growth of Levijahač youthculture, Dravljana finds itself nowadays in an odd spot. Though initially opposed to jean trousers as a form of foreign culture attemtping to weasle its way in, nowadays jeans and denim jackets (often with ripped off sleeves) are the callmark of the subculture. Hair is often cut into a buzzcut, following the armed forces, and facial hair is often non-existant. Leaning to the right of politics, Dravljana groups often find themselves fighting other Dravljana more often than not, as arguments that break out over the master ethnicity of Ni, and other petty things, are often heated.
The newcomer to the scene are the Vodi, so called because of their origins as sons of lead miners. Often wearing cutomised overalls and sharing the Levijahač's proficiency for motorbikes, they often form into gangs which will battle other Vodi gangs and groups of other subcultures. Many end up joining organised crime rings, and roughly 1 in 10 will find themselves in prison for their actions as part of gangs, mainly on accounts of street violence, assault and assault with intent to kill. The Vodi are thankfully a minority of youth.
However, in more recent years, conflict and clashes between youthgroups has grown. Last year 6 people died from stabbing wounds, as a direct result from said clashes. Yesterday, the House of Barons passed Department for Youth Sub-cultures act, creating a new department of the national police service, tasked with stopping youthgroup related conflict. How effective it ends up and whether more action is needed remains to be seen.