Imagine a nightmare scene: journalist Emilija Marić brutally attacked in Novi Sad, kicked and insulted for hours, just for speaking the truth! Yes, you read that right. This attack was not a random incident but an organized action by a violent mob known as the blockaders, who gathered in front of the SNS president’s house, called through opposition Viber groups. This was not a protest; it was a civil assault on media freedom.
The Association of Journalists of Serbia (ANS) urgently reacted with a statement clearly saying: violence against journalists will not be tolerated! The attack on Emilija Marić is just the tip of the iceberg in a series of proofs that blockaders have become a violent mob threatening anyone who dares to speak the truth. Sharing personal addresses of journalists, editors, and politicians, direct calls for violence and bloodshed – all have become daily occurrences.
The state must act immediately and without selectivity! The prosecution must bring all perpetrators and masterminds of this vile attack to justice. Journalists are not targets, and if this continues, soon there will be no one left brave enough to tell the truth. ANS calls on all journalistic associations and colleagues to condemn this attack and any relativization of violence. This is an alarm for the entire media world and society in Serbia.
Is this the beginning of the end of media freedom? Will the state allow violence against journalists to become normal? While the government and opposition bicker, ordinary people watch their rights and freedoms vanish before their eyes. Emilija Marić is just one in a series of victims, but her story must awaken the conscience of all of us before it’s too late.
If you think this is exaggerated, think about how many hours of violence and threats against journalists have already passed without adequate response. Will we allow such scenes to repeat? Or will we finally stand up to violence and defend media freedom? Drop your thoughts – because silence is complicity!
