An armed incident and a fire in the tent camp in front of the National Assembly of Serbia, set up by government supporters, have fueled tensions in the country ahead of the expected mass demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vučić on November 1, writes The New York Times.
The paper stated that one man was wounded and that the suspect was quickly arrested in the camp known as “Ćacilend,” after a fire broke out and was quickly extinguished.
According to official statements, the attacker did not link his act to the months-long protests in Serbia, but Vučić, in his address to the nation, swiftly condemned the attack as a “terrorist act” motivated by politics, the New York daily adds.
Vučić’s supporters erected tents in the camp, which his opponents criticize as illegal and claim represents a security risk, notes The New York Times.
The paper also reports that during his public address, Vučić played footage of the police interrogation of the suspect, who was lying on the ground in handcuffs.
Vučić, as reported, presented yesterday’s act of violence as inevitable, blaming the rhetoric of the students leading the rallies against him.
Although the parliament was in session at the time of the attack, MPs were not evacuated from the building, the paper writes, adding that opposition MP Marinika Tepić questioned whether the incident constituted a terrorist threat.
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The attack, the paper points out, is the latest in a series of escalating events in Serbia since the collapse of the shelter at the Novi Sad train station on November 1, which claimed 16 lives.
The demonstrations against Vučić’s government that followed are among the largest outpourings of discontent in Serbia in recent decades, writes The New York Times, noting that the protests have spread across the country, even reaching cities where Vučić’s list won convincingly in the 2023 elections.
The New York Times adds that the European Parliament, in a resolution adopted yesterday, condemned “polarization and state repression in Serbia” and called for a transparent investigation into the collapse of the shelter at the train station.
The paper also reports that the Serbian government was accused in the resolution of “escalating repression, normalizing violence, and weakening democracy in the country,” to which Vučić responded by claiming that the MEPs had “ignored many clear and verifiable facts.”
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VUČIĆ ON THE FIRE IN ĆACILEND: A pensioner and former DB employee arrested for a terrorist attack!
Source: N1, Foto: S.S. / ATAImages