Serbia’s Minister of Information, Boris Bratina, commented on the attack on an N1 news crew near the Serbian Parliament on 20 November, expressing his expectation that the perpetrator will be arrested, while questioning claims that the attacker emerged from the so-called Ćacilend encampment.
The incident involved a man, reportedly previously convicted for murder and imprisoned for 15 years, who attacked the N1 crew and damaged their camera. Footage from the scene reportedly shows the attacker leaving the Ćacilend area.
During a parliamentary session, N1 journalist Žaklina Tatalović asked Bratina about the attack and the role of Ćacilend, to which the minister replied:
“He attacked somewhere around here; where he was before that, neither we nor you know.”
When N1 pointed out that the footage shows the attacker exiting Ćacilend, Bratina responded:
“Oh, he came out… Did you see that? I haven’t seen the footage. Let’s see it.”
Bratina further downplayed the connection to Ćacilend, stating:
“What’s the problem? Does it really matter if he came from Ćacilend? There are plenty of other people on the other side you could call crazy as well.”
Regarding police response, Bratina noted that he is not the Minister of Police and stressed that perpetrators should be arrested:
“If someone attacked a news crew, they should be arrested, right? Has he been arrested? I expect so, of course.”
Bratina’s remarks come amid ongoing debates over safety for journalists and security around Ćacilend, a fenced encampment near the Parliament where various protests and demonstrations have taken place.
