Serbia's protest violence: Ruling party linked to attacks
In the Wednesday attacks on demonstrators in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, participants included activists and city councillors from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), according to a Radio Free Europe investigation. The protesters opposed the demolition of the historic bridge over the River Sava.
Analysis of the protest recordings showed that members of the SNS, which governs at both the city and central levels, were involved in the attacks on protesting citizens.
During Wednesday's protest, a journalist from the independent N1 station was attacked and, as the station reported on Thursday, suffered injuries to her arm and neck. Due to the assault, the woman was given a neck brace.
Riots during protests
During the protest, a crowd of citizens blocked the roads around the luxurious "Belgrade on Water" neighbourhood - one of the SNS's major projects. The neighbourhood is located near the Old Bridge on the Sava, whose demolition has been opposed by protest groups for weeks.
A few minutes after the demonstration began, a group of men appeared at the scene, attacked the crowd, and pushed them off the street, accompanied by numerous scuffles and fights. A police unit finally intervened, forming a cordon between the groups.
Clash with politicians
Activists and opposition politicians accused the government of sending provocateurs to disperse the demonstrators. - Members of the SNS are behind these incidents - said Misha Baculov, a councillor from Novi Sad.
"This is the phalanx of Vucevic (Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic - ed.), who sent them against peaceful demonstrators," wrote Marinika Tepić from the opposition Freedom and Justice Party on platform X on Wednesday.
- These are SNS activists, I recognised the chairman of one of the Belgrade districts. They were armed with knives. Someone could have died that night, and SNS and President Aleksandar Vučić would have been responsible - said Borko Stefanović, an opposition deputy in the Serbian parliament, who was present at the scene, to N1 television.
Fight for the bridge
Activists have been camping by the bridge for several weeks, trying to prevent its demolition. Work on dismantling began last Wednesday. The Belgrade authorities, led by Mayor Aleksandar Šapić from SNS, are aiming to demolish the over 80-year-old bridge and build "a more modern connection" in its place.
The bridge connecting New Belgrade with the eastern shore of the Sava was built in 1942 during the German occupation. It was the only major European bridge not destroyed when German troops were retreating from occupied areas during World War II. The occupiers mined the structure for demolition, but thanks to the intervention of a Belgrade resident and several Red Army soldiers, the bridge was saved.
