Vučić lied at conference with Von der Leyen: He said there were 27 deaths in protests in major European countries

In an attempt to highlight Serbian democracy, Aleksandar Vučić said at a press conference with Ursula von der Leyen that there had been 27 fatalities during protests in major European countries. However, this is not true.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at yesterday’s press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he was “proud of the democratic commitment and behavior of the Serbian state regarding the protests” and that “there have been 27 fatalities in protests in major European countries, while in Serbia no one has been killed in 11 months.”

The problem is that these “major European protests” with dozens of fatalities did not take place in Paris, Berlin, or Madrid—but in Iraq, writes Vreme.

Iraqi health and security officials reported that 23 protesters were killed in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah when security forces opened fire on protesters trying to break through to the main entrance to the city. Four other protesters were killed in Baghdad on the Ahrar Bridge, which leads to the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the government headquarters and foreign embassies are located.

Baghdad and most of southern Iraq, which is predominantly Shiite, have been rocked by protests since October 1. Protesters accuse the government of corruption, poor public services, and high unemployment.

How Vučić turned Iraq into a “great European country” is unclear, but his subconscious comparison of the state of democracy in Serbia and the use of repressive measures against protesters with that country is understandable./Nova.rs/