Pro-Western demonstrators have attempted to break into government buildings in Belgrade in what Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called an attempted “color revolution.”
Aleksandar Vucic praised police for withstanding “brutal attacks” and preserving the country’s independence and sovereignty.
“Today there was an attempt to seize state institutions by force. Those who swear to fight against violence have shown that they are real thugs,” Vucic pointed out.
Vucic claims he was tipped off about the plot beforehand.
Media reports said:
Thousands of pro-Western opposition protesters gathered outside the Belgrade City Assembly on Sunday to protest the victory of Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) over the pro-EU Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition in parliamentary elections last week. The protest turned violent with a group of demonstrators attempting to batter down the doors of the building, until they were dispersed by police.
Thugs
“There is no revolution underway,” Vucic said in a public address. “Nothing will go their way,” he continued, referring to the protesters. “Those who swear to fight against violence have shown that they are real thugs.”
The SPN coalition emerged out of anti-government protests following a pair of mass shootings in May. While the protest movement initially demanded the resignations of Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin, it soon called for the fall of Vucic’s government.
Sponsored By Western Powers
Vucic claimed that the protest was sponsored by Western powers who wanted him removed from office over his cordial relations with Russia and refusal to abandon Serbia’s claim to Kosovo, citing reports from foreign intelligence services.
He reiterated these allegations in Sunday’s address, thanking unnamed “foreign services” for letting his security services “know exactly what the thugs were preparing.”
Color Revolution
The term ‘color revolution’ describes a protest movement funded and organized by a Western government – usually the U.S. Aimed at toppling leaders opposed to U.S. interests, these revolutions are typically backed by U.S. intelligence agencies, and organized by a panoply of U.S.-funded NGOs. While the term became widely known following the 2003 ‘Rose Revolution’ in Georgia, the first successful use of color revolution tactics took place in Yugoslavia in 2000, when a U.S.-backed student movement forced the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic.
The anti-Milosevic movement began with claims that the Yugoslavian leader had engaged in fraud in that year’s election, claims bolstered by Western-funded ‘election monitors’ who were brought in.
“Serbia is fed up with your revolutions,” Vucic said during the initial ‘anti-violence’ protests earlier this year. “Serbia is fed up with the arrival of those under foreign influence and the destruction of everything that is Serbian.”
Protesters Stormed Belgrade City Hall
Earlier media reports said:
Hundreds of anti-government protesters attempted to break into the City Assembly of Belgrade on Sunday evening, in an escalation of violence that the Serbian president blamed on foreign interference and called an attempted “color revolution.”
The rioters claimed they intended “to liberate the institutions,” as they smashed the glass door while chanting “Get out” and “This is Serbia!”
Police barricaded inside the building, holding the door with their backs and shields, according to videos of the unrest. At least two police officers were injured in clashes, as protesters pelted pieces of concrete, while urging them to leave the building and “stand on the side of the people.”
Green-Left Front
National Assembly MP Radomir Lazovica, co-president of the Green-Left Front (ZLF), claimed that the opposition merely seeks to “defend the institutions” and called “on the Gendarmerie and all the forces that use force to take shelter and allow people to speak from the balcony of the assembly.”
“No one wants any harm or violence,” he said, as protesters continued to smash windows and vandalize the government building.
35 Arrested
Once riot police reinforcements arrived, authorities quickly dispersed the crowd, arresting at least 35 “provocateurs.”
The head of Belgrade’s Temporary Council, Aleksandar Sapic, shared a video of the aftermath, showing destruction inside and outside of the assembly building.
The anti-government protests erupted in Serbia on Monday, with the opposition accusing the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of “vote theft” during last week’s parliamentary elections that saw it win over the pro-EU Serbia Against Violence (SPN) coalition.
Serbia Thanks Russia For Warning About Color Revolution Attempt
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabiс has expressed gratitude to the Russian security services, which alerted Belgrade to plans for riots in the capital.
While Vucic initially thanked unnamed “foreign services” for letting his security services “know exactly what the thugs were preparing,” Brnabiс later revealed that Belgrade was tipped off by Moscow.
“I feel that it is important, especially tonight, to stand up for Serbia and to thank the Russian security services who had that information and who shared it with us,” Brnabic told TV Pink on Sunday night.
“I can only say thank you, and it probably would not be popular with those from the West,” the prime minister said, adding, “When we shared that information with everyone else, they said: ‘Well, that is Russian disinformation, that is spreading fake news.’”
Following the unrest in Belgrade, Vucic is expected to host Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko at his residence just across the square from the assembly where the protest took place, local media reported, citing the presidential press service. Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has also scheduled a meeting with the Russian envoy.
