[13] After the fall of the DPS cabinet from the position of power it had held in previous years, in the aftermath of the clerical protests and the 2020 parliamentary election, numerous Montenegrin nationalist political subjects organized mass rallies in Cetinje and in the capital Podgorica, in support of DPS, due to what they perceived as a "threat to Montenegrin statehood and independence".

[24] The total roadblock of Podgorica-Niksic road was temporarily dismissed after days of protests, after the controversial bylaws were removed from the Government sessions.

[25] In period between September 2020 and end of April 2021, 152 pro-Montenegrin gatherings and protests were registered by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, which involved 130,000 people (21% of Montenegro's population).

[27][28] The protests took an unexpected turn and their character transformed from nationalist to anti-fascist, following an incident that took place in Nikšić in the evening of 12 June 2021. when an older man urinated on the statue of the national hero Ljubo Čupić on the central square of the city, in front of many passers-by.

[39] Fearing for the security of the future Metropolitan and the country as a whole, some politicians began to question the location of the enthronement ceremony, with some proposing that it should be held in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Podgorica.

[44] President Milo Đukanović came to Cetinje to show support for the protest together with his opposition DPS members, calling on the government to cancel the enthronement ceremony, warning that it could trigger violence.

[44][47][48] President Đukanović, who had recommended that the inauguration of Joanikije be held in a place other than in Cetinje, and encouraged protesters to disrupt his inauguration, said that the enthronement was the government's Pyrrhic victory and "a great embarrassment of the Serbian Church and the government of Montenegro", while prime minister Zdravko Krivokapić called the violence in Cetinje "attempted acts of terrorism" on the part of the president's activists.

[52] Forty-six associations of Montenegrins from 18 countries from Europe, Oceania, North and South America signed a common declaration which condemned what they called a "[p]erfidious attempt to change the ethnic and political map of Montenegro".

[53] On 10 May, 50 Montenegrin Diaspora Organizations, Associations and prominent individuals submitted an appeal letter to Oana Cristina Popa, EU Delegation representative to Montenegro, asking for assistance and support for "constitutionally and legally guaranteed civil rights and freedoms".

[55] In Luxembourg, Montenegrin expats organized a rally and motorcade to commemorate the Independence day of Montenegro and also to raise awareness on recent Nationality Law developments.

[58] A patriotic motorcade was held in New York City on 27 June 2021, organized by Diaspora, where Montenegrin Americans expressed their support for "progressive forces that defend the fundamental values of civil, secular and anti-fascist Montenegro".