Aleksandar Vučić made an unusual slip during a speech to supporters in the town of Sivac, accidentally mixing characters from two famous comic book series while attempting to describe Serbia’s position in global politics.
While addressing supporters during a campaign event for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Vučić compared Serbia to a “free Gaulish island” resisting powerful forces, a well-known reference from the comic series Asterix.
However, in his remarks, the Serbian president unexpectedly placed the Western comic hero Lucky Luke—known in the Balkans as Talični Tom—into the same fictional setting as Asterix and Obelix.
During the speech, Vučić argued that foreign powers want to defeat his party in local elections because Serbia remains, in his view, a free and independent country unwilling to act as a “puppet” of others.
“Why is it so important for them to defeat us in local elections in Lučani? Because of what I am proud of — an independent and free Serbia. Everyone wants puppets in the world… but Serbia is like in Lucky Luke, a small free Gaulish island,” Vučić said.
The reference created confusion because the “small Gaulish village resisting powerful empires” is actually the central theme of the Asterix comics, which take place in ancient Gaul during the Roman Empire.
Meanwhile, the adventures of Lucky Luke occur in the American Wild West, where the lone cowboy travels across frontier towns maintaining order.
Although the two comic universes have no connection, Vučić’s speech ended up blending them together while he attempted to draw a symbolic comparison between Serbia and the famous fictional village that resists outside powers.
