Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić pledged late on Wednesday to restore order by detaining “all those who tried to plunge Serbia into civil war,” after violent clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters in the town of Novi Sad, and across the country, left over 60 people wounded.
The riots were the most severe in Novi Sad, where last November’s tragic canopy collapse happened, killing 16 people and triggering the ongoing wave of anti-government protests.
There, nearly 2,000 rioters staged a series of “well-organized attacks” against the local headquarters of the ruling SNS party, which was surrounded by a few hundred pro-government counter-protesters, dozens of whom were left “spitting blood” and in need of medical attention afterward, the president said.
According to the statement published on Vučić’s social media, a “catastrophic scenario” was prevented only through the restraint of the riot police and the government supporters, even when facing the constant barrage of rocks, bottles, and pyrotechnics hurled at them.
“Tonight is a difficult evening for the citizens of Serbia,” Vučić said in the late-night press conference after touring several protest sites in and around Belgrade. “What is important is that, thanks to the wisdom, tolerance, and patience of a huge number of citizens, we have miraculously managed to preserve peace for now,” he added.
Opposition media were quick to shift the blame to SNS supporters for the violence, but the police categorically rejected the allegations based on reports from the ground.
According to Serbian Police Director Dragan Vasiljević, the counter-protesters were peacefully gathered around the party headquarters when all of a sudden hundreds of rioters appeared “with bats, bars, wooden poles—the obvious intention was to have serious clashes.” At least 17 policemen were also injured, he added.
In his statement, President Vučić said the riots are fueled by agitators—likely connected to the opposition and foreign organizations—trying to plunge the country into a civil war just to get rid of his administration, despite the fact that every initial demand of the protesters was met months ago. All, except the one that came after ministers were sacked and the prime minister resigned, still not satisfying the crowd: early elections.
Nonetheless, the unspeakable violence seen on Wednesday is not acceptable, and the government will crack down on those responsible for stoking the flames, Vučić vowed.
“There will be no mercy for thugs, hooligans, and bullies,” Vučić said. “We will prevent any of their desires from leading us to civil conflicts and endangering the security and peace in our country.”
“There will be no civil war,” he promised.
