A group of students and activists was attacked on Sunday in Mataru\u0161ka Banja during the Veseli spust event, when they wanted to hang banners reading \u201cStudents Are Winning\u201d and \u201cSave Studenica\u201d on a suspension bridge. According to their claims, a group of unknown men, one of whom said he was \u201cfrom the service\u201d, approached them and tried to forcibly remove the banner, with one of them ending up in the Ibar River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mataru\u0161ka Banja is one of the stops for everyone participating in the Veseli spust \u2013 a traditional rafting event from Magli\u010d to Kraljevo. On Sunday at around 2 p.m., when boats began arriving, a group of activists and students appeared on the suspension bridge holding banners reading \u201cStudents Are Winning\u201d and \u201cSave Studenica\u201d. At one point, as can be seen in footage, a group of men approached them and tried to take the banners from them, while the one that read \u201cSave Studenica\u201d ended up in the Ibar River and a serious incident occurred. Two female students were injured in the incident, suffering hand injuries after pulling with the men when the incident and attempt to take the banner took place on the bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activist Boban Jerini\u0107 revealed to N1 what the incident looked like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt one point, before we unfolded the banner, a somewhat tattooed, slightly bigger guy approached us and asked what we were holding, thinking, of course, that we were holding the \u2018Students Are Winning\u2019 banner. When I told him it was \u2018Save Studenica\u2019, he just turned around and left, and after a few moments he came back and said: \u2018We have a directive, none of the banners can be displayed, only \u201cSerbia Is Winning\u201d can be hung.\u2019 Of course, we reacted and did not agree to that. Actually, later, when he came back, he wanted to snatch that banner from us,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, the commotion began when that man approached them and told them that the banner could not remain there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe started pulling and tugging, and I said \u2013 okay, give us some order, give us anything that you have some legal measure against us. Of course, he had nothing, he just said \u2013 hey, I\u2019m from the service, referring to the BIA. I said \u2013 okay, give us, show us some identification. He didn\u2019t have that either. So he contacted the police, allegedly. He said \u2013 they\u2019re coming now. It was simply an attempt at intimidation, actually, he thought it would work,\u201d Jerini\u0107 stated, adding that they have been involved in activism for a long time for such things not to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two female students were injured during the struggle with the alleged BIA member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are young girls, so of course they could not wrestle with them like we, the men who were there on the bridge, could. I don\u2019t know how serious the injuries were, but it was certainly an unpleasant situation for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n