Serbia is once again showing disregard for its own citizens and cultural heritage by fast-tracking a controversial luxury development in Belgrade, proposed by Jared Kushner’s investment company, the son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, reports the British Independent.
After signing a 99-year lease, the Serbian parliament is now debating legislation to accelerate construction permits, ignoring widespread protests and the cultural significance of the site. The buildings in question were formerly the General Staff of the Yugoslav People’s Army, damaged during the NATO bombings in 1999, and many consider them a memorial to the victims and a landmark of modernist Yugoslav architecture.
“First they bombed us, then insulted us with the vulgar Trump Tower,” noted the British Observer, highlighting the insult felt by many Serbs.
Despite public opposition, the Serbian government stripped the buildings of their cultural protection in November 2024, clearing the way for the project. This move shows a blatant disregard for the law and public sentiment.
Savo Manojlović, legal expert and opposition leader, denounced the draft law, saying it “suspends all standards related to the protection of cultural property.” He plans to ask the Constitutional Court to review the law, but the government seems determined to ignore legal norms in favor of foreign investors.
President Aleksandar Vučić, defending the plan, claimed he demanded a monument to NATO bombing victims but conveniently left it to Kushner’s company to finance it, while the public bears the loss of cultural heritage.
The timing of this vote is telling: Serbia is already reeling from mass protests over the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station roof, which killed 16 people in November 2024, and citizens’ frustration with government incompetence is at an all-time high. Meanwhile, Serbia’s only Russian-owned oil refinery faces US sanctions, putting the country’s winter fuel supply at risk.
Instead of addressing public safety, economic vulnerabilities, or historical preservation, Vučić and his government prioritize the interests of a foreign billionaire, trampling the voices of ordinary citizens.
