Police officers in full equipment for breaking up demonstrations twice this morning pushed away opposition MPs and councilors blocking the back entrance to the court and prosecution building in Novi Sad with shields.
In that push, one policeman lost his baton, and two others lost their walkie-talkies.
This morning, the opposition started the new announced blockade of all three entrances to the building where the courts and prosecutor's offices are located in Novi Sad.
In previous cases, the building was secured by the police in equipment for breaking up demonstrations, and this morning there are cordons of the gendarmerie in front of the building and in the building itself, whose members have masks over their faces.
They placed a metal protective fence in front of the main entrance to the building with the inscriptions of the Public Utility Company Parking Service, which prevents access to the stairs where there were previous incidents and through which they made a passage through which employees entered.
The opposition politicians then locked those fences with a padlock and prevented further passage for the employees.
They also locked the fence that leads to the back yard of the building, where there are dozens of police officers in equipment for breaking up demonstrations.
Milivojević to the policemen: Does your oath say that you beat and mutilate a 74-year-old man?
Democratic Party (DS) MP Srđan Milivojević asked members of the gendarmerie if their oath says to beat 74-year-olds and "mutilate" them.
This was an allusion to the beating of Ilija Kostić (74), who was suspected of using pepper spray against police officers at one of the protests and then, as he later stated, was beaten in the police station, for which he underwent surgery and one of his testicles was amputated. .
Miran Pogačar, city councilor of the "Bravo" coalition in Novi Sad, ironically thanked the police for "blocking the court and the prosecution".
"(Former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Goran) Vesić was released from custody, the biggest criminals are walking free while five more people are sitting in prison. We block this building because of 15 killed, two seriously injured, because of Ilija (Kostić) who was beaten in the police station station, because of the drug dealer who is the director of Public City Transport (JGSP) Novi Sad, because of the government of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which is absolutely connected to crime If it doesn't start working according to the law, it won't work. Yesterday, the lawyers stopped the work, today we continue the blockade," said Pogačar.
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He announced that the opposition will organize various protest actions throughout Serbia.
The vice-president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) Marinika Tepić asked why there was no police at the demonstrations in Belgrade yesterday, when "SNS hooligans" physically attacked the citizens.
She added that the police only came later, but without equipment to break up demonstrations.
Among others, the vice-president of the People's Movement of Serbia (NPS) Borislav Novaković, provincial deputy Radivoje Jovović, SSP deputy Dušan Nikezić and activists of the Green-Left Front are present at the blockade.
Dacic: The opposition organizes unannounced meetings every day
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said that the opposition is becoming more and more violent and that it organizes unannounced rallies every day.
He was a guest on the morning program of Pink television and said that there is a blockade of the court and prosecutor's office in Novi Sad, and that even the opposition no longer knows what is the reason for the blockade.
"These are exercises now, to maintain tension because I haven't heard anything meaningful and that's why today they are blocking the court building and the prosecutor's office in Novi Sad," Dačić said. He also pointed out that once upon a time, opposition politicians could gather 10.000 or 100.000 people each.
"But those people, those leaders of the opposition, had some idea, some program. That's how they managed to gather so many people. Today we have a situation where the backbone of the opposition of about a hundred people uses violent methods as a cohesive element that holds them together," he said. .
"In fact, they are left without the support of citizens. 20, 50 or 100 of them dictate the functioning of the city. They block vital intersections and institutions and literally stop the lives of citizens, and of course there is dissatisfaction among that part of the population, and this is the majority part of the population," he emphasized. Dacic.
He also said that the threats and violent statements of opposition members show the lack of a political program and that they do not know what they want and what they are doing.
"Also, the big problem is in the leadership. They use violence to show who is the bigger leader. Also, there is huge mistrust among them. All of these are the reasons for resorting to violent methods of expressing dissatisfaction, rather than a meaningful political program and ideas," said Dacic. .
The minister also said that the police have so far shown a high level of tolerance and that "in many situations they were like clay pigeons".
"They are accusing us of excessive use of force. And I think everyone had the opportunity to see that the police behaved with extreme restraint," Dačić pointed out.
Regarding the case of a man from Novi Sad (74) who was allegedly seriously injured by the police, Dacic said that we should not forget why he was taken into custody.
"He sprayed a police officer with pepper spray. It's an attack on an official. Of course, that's no excuse and he doesn't give anyone the right to exceed his authority because of that," said Dacic.
He also said that the truth will be established and if there was indeed an excessive use of force, those who beat the arrested man will be held accountable.
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