Vučić announced that the SNS is postponing the rally in Novi Sad, scheduled for September 4th

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced today that the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is postponing a rally in Novi Sad, previously planned for Friday, September 4th.

Vučić, formally an ordinary member of the SNS, stated in a video post on Instagram that he "wanted and planned to address the people of Novi Sad on September 4, on Friday."

"I hereby inform you that we will postpone this address and this rally because for me, people's lives are the most important thing," he said.

After the announcement that Vučić would speak at the SNS rally in Novi Sad on September 4, the citizens' assemblies of Novi Sad, part of the opposition parties, the academic community, and public figures strongly opposed this possibility.

They stated that the public holds Vučić and the SNS responsible for the tragedy, and they also recalled that the Serbian president has not visited the scene of the accident in the previous 22 months.

Vučič also stated that "almost two years ago, a terrible tragedy occurred in Novi Sad" when "a canopy collapsed and 16 people died, including children."

He also stated that "in every place, he not only paid tribute to these people, but also spoke clearly and unequivocally that responsibility must be established."

"If there are those guilty, they must be held accountable and punished. I am sure that no one is happy with the speed of the proceedings, the solutions, or the decisions of the prosecution," he said.

"But the decision about that will not be made by me as president, nor will it be made by those on the street, but by the institutions," Vučić noted.

"Meanwhile, some thought that through violence they could get their justice. Justice is never violence and violence is not justice," he added.

He also assessed that "the political scene is such that those who said they were only interested in justice have shown that they are only interested in office chairs and that they want office chairs more than anything and at any cost."

"I will meet them soon and announce the elections that will be held early," said Vučić, who had previously announced that early parliamentary elections would be held on October 18th or 25th.