Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has once again commented on last night’s unrest in Novi Sad and Belgrade, where violence broke out during anti-government protests.
Speaking to pro-government media, Vučić accused some demonstrators whom he labeled as “blockers” of attempting to commit a mass killing. He claimed that protesters wanted to “burn people alive” and that, had they succeeded, there would have been “300 victims.”
“I regret that some of our state institutions are not capable of reacting properly,” Vučić said. “They wanted to burn people alive. Imagine what they would have done to the people inside. It would have been 300 burned alive. This is something that is now clear to everyone. Now it is completely clear who we are dealing with, and they have never wanted peace it has always been about violence.”
Vučić offered no evidence to support these dramatic claims, which appear aimed at framing the protests — sparked by growing public discontent with his government as acts of extreme criminality rather than political dissent.
Critics have noted that such statements fit into a long-standing pattern in which Vučić and his allies depict opposition movements as violent threats, while downplaying the grievances and demands that drive citizens into the streets.
