Democratic Party Blasts Vucic for Equating Activists with Attackers on Students

Gavrilovic, Lutovac, Milivojevic (BETAPHOTO/UROS MATOVIC)

The Democratic Party on May 21 blasted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for equating the six jailed civic activists with the detained attackers on university students.

"Aleksandar Vucic's attempt to equate the six illegally arrested civic activists with the perpetrators of a serious felony who almost killed a student in Novi Sad in the night of Jan. 28 is an indicator of his vicious and villainous character," the Democratic Party said in a press release. The statement read further that "this dangerous attempt at relativization of attacks on students and a portrayal of proven thugs as victims of some sort of judiciary conspiracy is a well-known pattern for defending all members of the Progressive [party] mafia."

The Democratic Party went on to say that "this manic attempt to criminalize civic resistance and amnesty thugs comes at a time when even certain parts of the security apparatus Vucic has relied on for years are leaving him," and concluding that this was "a panic reflex of a regime sensing that the ground is shifting underfoot."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that he supported Serbian Progressive Party president Milos Vucevic's idea to block a court in Novi Sad to effect the release of four party members who have been in detention for four months on suspicion of having assaulted several students.