Ljajic: Peaceful Protests Inherent in Democracy, Ultimatums Lead to Radicalization

Rasim Ljajic

President of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia, Rasim Ljajic, said that “as long as protests are peaceful, they are part of a democratic folklore in any state.”

“To be honest, some initial reactions by the authorities were awkward, which probably made the protests even more massive. Now, their reactions are much more balanced, and I believe they will remain so until the end,” Ljajic said in a July 3 interview with the Vecernje Novosti daily.

The Social Democrat leader said that the authorities “need to take the odd punch or two, but the tragedy that happened should have triggered a serious debate on fundamental values the society rests on.” “I’m afraid that this time, too, it will not take place, and everything will boil down to daily political narratives again,” Ljajic said.

“Wars, too, end in negotiations, and the expectation is that these protests might end in talks about the demands they have been promoting as well. Ultimatums and insistence on having all the demands met will lead to radicalization rather than a solution,” Ljajic said, suggesting: “When you have a political crisis, a new election is the best solution.”