FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is facing accusations of sending hooligan groups to suppress the anti-corruption movement that has rocked the country over the past nine months.
The anti-corruption protest movement, which was entirely peaceful in Serbia for almost nine months, has begun to turn violent, following provocations by hooligans sent by the government to confront opponents.
On Thursday evening, August 14, some of the thousands of demonstrators who had been protesting for months against President Aleksandar Vučić vandalized several premises belonging to his party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), in Novi Sad, the country's second largest city.
"Tonight, we saw these wonderful children and these citizens destroying other people's property," Vucic said on Thursday evening. He warned that he might declare a 'state of emergency' in response to demonstrators, whom he accused of wanting to "burn alive" his supporters last night during clashes in Novi Sad, 80 kilometers from Belgrade.
At least 42 police officers were injured and 37 demonstrators were arrested on Thursday evening across the country. According to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, “these are no longer peaceful student demonstrations. This is an attack on the state.”
Meanwhile, students who have been leading the movement also accused the authorities of trying to provoke "a civil war" by sending hooligans into the streets. On the evening of August 12, two protests organized in small towns escalated after mysterious people supporting the government were sent to clash with opponents.
The next day, people dressed in black and masks were again deployed in several cities to guard the SNS headquarters. At times, these people were filmed throwing fireworks and stones at opposition demonstrators or even trying to hit them with chairs.
Endemic corruption
“These are kind of militias who wear masks and tattoos, it’s very scary,” said Aleksa Simic, a 23-year-old political science student in Belgrade and an active member of this movement. “The police don’t protect us; they protect people from the ruling party,” he added.
Seeking help from the hooligan and mafia circles that supported his political rise, Vučić, a 55-year-old nationalist who has governed Serbia since 2014, first as prime minister and then as president, has clearly decided to return to the darker methods of his career.
Notorious criminals have been seen among the president's supporters, including Djordje Prelic, considered the ringleader of the hooligans who killed a French football fan in Belgrade in 2009. They are led by the president's own brother, Andrej Vucic, a figure known for links to organised crime groups that originate in football stadiums.
For the first time, an officer was seen on Wednesday evening firing his gun into the air to disperse demonstrators in Novi Sad.
"Members of the Serbian army were sent onto the streets together with SNS hooligans to attack citizens, while they were supposedly protecting the offices of the Serbian Progressive Party," said Dragan Djilas, an opposition leader.
The president also again accused the students of being "directed from abroad," referring to the West in this country where there is a strong pro-Russian current.
The movement was sparked by the collapse in November 2024 of a newly renovated train station canopy in Novi Sad. The tragedy, which killed 16 people, is seen in Serbia as a result of endemic corruption in the Balkan country that officially aspires to join the European Union. Since May, students have been demanding early legislative elections, something Vučić has so far rejected.
Refusal to hold new elections
Although most universities have resumed online classes and participation in rallies has diminished due to the summer holidays, a temptation to radicalize the movement is evident among some demonstrators.
"The regime will fall soon, it's just a matter of time," Simic says with conviction.
While Vučić controls all of the country's institutions and most of the media, he continues to guarantee the support of many Serbs through fear or with public subsidies on which pensioners and public employees depend.
However, his refusal to hold new elections appears to reflect his declining popularity. For their part, the students said they have finalized a list of 250 candidates they could field if early elections were held.
"These are people who have never been involved in politics, but who are respected in their fields and are committed to restoring the rule of law," Simic said, refusing to distinguish between left and right, even though the movement also includes radical pro-Russian nationalists.
Many demonstrators also insulted the president by using a pejorative term for Albanians. "These differences are a real problem. But we want a short-term government that will be there to restore the foundations of a country free from corruption and organized crime by allowing free elections and a free media. We can talk about our ideological differences later," Simic admitted./ Adapted from "Pamfleti" by "Le Monde".
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