On March 22, 2025, citizens of Leskovac in Serbia protested in front of the city’s National Theatre due to the firing of a local resident, who claims he was dismissed from the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO) for participating in a protest in Niš. The protest intensified as a police cordon prevented demonstrators from approaching the theatre where Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was meeting with citizens.
Professor Dejan Stanišić, a local high school teacher, was arrested after attempting to break through the police line and enter the theatre, according to reports by N1. After Vučić left the theatre, protesters marched towards the PIO Fund office to express solidarity with the dismissed worker, Aleksandar Drašković.
In his speech, Vučić vowed to take strong actions against state organs that fail to uphold law and order. He stated, “Police officers who refuse to protect the law will be replaced, and prosecutors who do not do their job will be replaced as well.” Vučić also condemned the prosecutors in Niš for their handling of violent protests, questioning why they did not request detention for those involved in the incidents.
Regarding the protests, Vučić mentioned that six people were seriously injured in Niš, including two who suffered jaw fractures. He also alleged that there had been foreign interference aiming to incite an “orange revolution” in Serbia, but vowed to continue his policies and fight back “even stronger.”
Furthermore, the Serbian president claimed that 200 people gathered outside the theatre, though they did not act violently but only honked their horns. Vučić also addressed the detention of several students during the Niš protests, including a law student named Mateja Nikolić, who was reportedly detained after a video surfaced showing Niš mayor Dragoslav Pavlović being attacked by a group of people. Nikolić’s phone was reportedly confiscated during his detention.
