Vučić in Novi Sad: Drama on the Streets and Bridges!
After eight months of nonstop protests, Aleksandar Vučić showed up in Novi Sad, but it was anything but peaceful. While the president toured the construction site of the Danube bridge near Petrovaradin, part of the Fruška Gora corridor, police blocked citizens from approaching him. Groups of people who are not SNS supporters tried to get there on foot, bikes, and cars, but police cordons stopped them. Vučić’s supporters were allowed through to cheer him on, while regime opponents faced a real blockade.
Vučić again called the student and civic protests a “color revolution” and claimed the state defeated the blockers “democratically, without using force.” However, lawyers and NGOs warn about excessive police force during protests and blockades that lasted months, including blocking faculties and roads.
The tragedy with 16 dead at the Novi Sad train station, when a canopy collapsed, sparked these protests, with demands for accountability and early parliamentary elections. Vučić announced the Danube bridge would open by September 15, Serbian Unity Day, but earlier reports revealed serious safety flaws on that section.
Law students faced police intervention in their faculty premises, sparking more tension and accusations of university autonomy violations. Lawyers responded with a strike after the detention of lawyer Radovan Novaković, calling it an attempt to intimidate the legal profession.
Protests continue in other cities like Užice, where citizens demand the release of detainees and freedom of expression. Overall, the situation in Serbia is tense, and clashes between authorities and citizens show no signs of stopping.
Think this is the end of the drama? Think again! This is just the beginning! What do you think? Has Vučić really won, or just bought time? Write, comment, let your voice be heard!
