The Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) has condemned the actions that prevented the Insajder TV crew from filming inside the Ćacilend tent settlement in Pionirski Park and blocked an RTS cameraman from covering a press conference at the Presidency.
Insajder reporter Stefan Goranović told UNS that neither he nor the cameraman were allowed to film the interior of the tent settlement from the plaza in front of the National Assembly after covering the parliamentary session.
“A person identifying themselves as security said that if we wanted to film, we would need to be accredited. When I asked whom to contact for accreditation, I was told to contact the organizer of the gathering, and when I asked who that was, they told me to look it up online,” Goranović said.
He added that the police initially ignored the situation, only later stating that filming was allowed only outside the fenced area of the settlement.
“I asked them on what legal basis accreditation was required to report from a public space, but they did not answer, instead directing us to leave the area,” Goranović added.
On a separate note, UNS reported that the RTS cameraman was denied access to the press conference at the Presidency. During the event, President Aleksandar Vučić told journalists to dress appropriately and not wear shorts or symbols that “offend the institutions of this country,” warning that offenders would be removed in the future.
Media reports noted that the RTS cameraman wore a badge depicting a bloody fist on his jacket.
UNS emphasized that filming in public spaces is permitted and that journalists do not need accreditation to film parts of the city. The association called the obstruction of the Insajder crew’s work unacceptable.
Regarding the RTS cameraman, UNS stated that if access was blocked because of the badge, this symbol represents the opinion of a significant part of Serbia’s citizens, and wearing it is a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.
“Removing journalists or cameramen wearing such badges would only be acceptable if there were a clearly defined dress code banning all similar symbols,” the UNS statement concluded.
