Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić recently stated that he would welcome being prosecuted over the General Staff complex, calling it an important project for the entire country, though also describing it as “one of the ugliest buildings in Serbia.”
Vučić made these remarks during his visit to Niš, addressing the project and responding to media reports suggesting that the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office could pursue charges against him. He said:
“I would like to be prosecuted for the General Staff because it is a significant project for Serbia. I have wanted this since my time at the Ministry of Defense and later as Prime Minister in 2016. We have a building that was one of the ugliest in Serbia, built by a communist persecutor of free people and free thought, and it was never protected by the state.”
Students who have been occupying the General Staff building to protect it as a cultural heritage site responded directly to Vučić, posting on social media:
“Agreed. We will fulfill your wish,” accompanied by a heart emoji.
Other students from different faculties also joined the conversation. Students from the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad commented:
“We support this” and “What kind of people would we be if we didn’t fulfill your wish?”
Students from the Belgrade Faculty of Agriculture and the Novi Sad Medical Faculty also contributed, showing widespread engagement and solidarity in the debate surrounding the project.
