After nine months of protests and increasing police violence in Serbia, pressure on President Aleksandar Vučić is mounting, reports Austrian public broadcaster ORF. Vučić is described as responding “alternately with a carrot and stick,” combining verbal threats, censorship, and promises of dialogue.
ORF highlights that while Vučić calls for dialogue with students and protesters, these offers have been rejected by opposition groups, who accuse him of failing to respond to the “people’s uprising.”
The Austrian report also notes rising pressure on independent media, including N1, Nova, Danas, and Radar. Vučić has accused these outlets of spreading disinformation and undermining the government, while journalists themselves have faced police violence during protests.
ORF cites Serbian media reporting on mask-clad party supporters being deployed to attack demonstrators in smaller cities, with headlines such as “President of All Serbian Thugs” in the weekly Vreme. Experts warn that the state’s monopoly on violence is expanding, and that current governance relies on fear and intimidation.
Analysts, including Vedran Džihić of the Austrian Institute for International Politics, stress that the European Union can no longer remain silent as Serbia, an EU candidate country, faces escalating authoritarian practices. Similarly, Andreas Schieder, head of the SPÖ delegation in the European Parliament, urges the EU to end its “wrongful restraint” toward Belgrade.
Vučić, however, continues to publicly reject the label of dictator, emphasizing during a recent visit by Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker that he is committed to Serbia’s European integration, despite domestic criticism.
