New provocation from the authorities in Serbia for Vidovdan, risks clashes with students

The announcement by the Serbian Progressive Party that it will hold a rally in Belgrade on June 28 – Vidovdan Day – has been met with concern in academic and civil society circles in Serbia. Students had previously announced the same date as the day of a large protest rally, which gave rise to the strong suspicion that this counter-rally was intended to lead to clashes and a tense situation in the country.

The Academic Plenum warned that the organization of a parallel rally by pro-government structures was no coincidence and recalled historical precedents in which such events brought Serbia to the brink of civil clashes – such as in 1996 under the Milosevic regime.

Seven months have passed since the protests began in Serbia. The collapse of part of the roof of a train station in Novi Sad sparked widespread discontent and protests and shook the regime of Aleksandar Vučić.

In a harsh statement, they held Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic directly responsible for a possible escalation if he did not cancel the event.

Instead of calling for fair and democratic elections and thus solving a major social crisis, the Serbian president shows a desire to incite violence on the streets. We call on Aleksandar Vučić to abandon his intention to organize a counter-rally and call for extraordinary parliamentary elections. However, if he fails to do so, the Academic Plenum will hold him solely responsible for possible violent events in Belgrade on Vidovdan, and the professors and staff of the university will be where they belong on that day,” the plenum’s statement said, according to Serbian media.

This development is also of particular importance for the region. Any deliberate destabilization of Serbia by the government carries risks that could also be reflected in the region – including attempts to divert attention from internal failures by constructing tensions on the border. We recall that political structures close to Vučić have also been directly involved in the destabilization of northern Kosovo in recent months.

/TheGeopost