Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that on Saturday, March 15, when students are planning a large assembly in Belgrade, the government will “sound the alarm” regarding the protests. He indicated that he anticipates protest organizers will “bet everything on one card” and may resort to violence.

He mentioned that “all businessmen, tycoons, and politicians” would converge in Belgrade on that date, acknowledging that “they are aware their time is limited,” referencing the completion of the sale of SBB and his expectation of unrest on the streets of Belgrade.

“They will soon understand that it is finished for them… They know they have nothing left, and they will feel compelled to act violently. Many will end up behind bars for their crimes, while others will see that the politicians who misled them into believing they could achieve anything through violence were lying,” Vučić stated during a visit to Alibunar.

When queried about how the institutions plan to prevent violence, the Serbian President remarked that the state “cannot prevent violence when someone is intent on causing it,” explaining that they can only arrest and penalize those responsible afterward.

Vučić noted that local institutions have endured protest actions for four months, with citizens in all the locations he visits questioning “how much longer (the state) will tolerate this.”

“It is important to me that we have demonstrated tolerance and democratic capacity,” he added.

The Serbian President also criticized the coverage by Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) regarding recent events in Pioneer Park, as the public broadcaster claimed “a police cordon separated two groups of students.”

“They didn’t just convene at the football stadium only to be separated; someone came intending to assault these children and take them away… Why not tell the truth, isn’t it shameful to omit it? Eventually, the dirt and residue will rise to the top, but it cannot persist indefinitely,” Vučić remarked.

Commenting on the citizens who gathered in Kovačica to protest and disrupt his visit, the Serbian President remarked that there were “at most 53 of them,” while he engaged with ten times that number inside the venue, adding that those at the protest were “afraid to hear the truth, as they did not respond to (his) invitation for discussion.”

He also expressed his expectation that the assailant of Culture Minister Nikola Selaković would be apprehended “tomorrow or the day after,” and dismissed claims by Dragan Đilas, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, that the proposed Alimony Fund was solely their idea.

“That was my concept, but I noticed that (the opposition party) submitted a well-drafted bill on the same topic. I do not mind acknowledging someone else’s merits; however, unlike them, who rely on their two ideas—one to steal and the other to assault, particularly women—I am open to recognizing any good proposal from the opposition. We will gladly consider all constructive opposition suggestions,” Vučić stated.

Vučić is currently on a two-day visit to the South Banat and Danube districts, which continues today and tomorrow.

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