(BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)
At least 16 police officers, seven members of the Army of Serbia and dozens of members of the general public have been injured in clashes throughout the country which occurred on two consecutive evenings – Aug. 12 and 13 – when protesters gathered in front of local offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic accused the protestors of injuring police even though videos show that the riot in Novi Sad began when Progressives’ supporters launched fireworks and flares at the protesting public.
According to Dacic, the incident represents “a horrifying attack on the state and on citizens whose political opinion is different” and all the police officers on site did was protect the latter.
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that over 60 Progressive supporters were injured in Novi Sad alone and added that “there will be no mercy for thugs and hooligans.”
Military Security Agency head General Djuro Jovanic stated that seven members of the Cobra special operations unit were hurt in Novi Sad, of which four sustained serious injuries.
Jovanic confirmed that the man who discharged a firearm during the Novi Sad riot was a sergeant major of the Cobra unit, but insisted that “no lives were endangered” by the gunfire and that the officer acted in self-defense.
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