Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, has been plunged into chaos in recent days, with thousands of dissatisfied people taking to the streets, clashing fiercely with them, and even storming the parliament building. This is considered to be the most serious in Serbia in a decade, and it has also aroused the attention and concern of the international community.
* The trigger was Serbia's announcement on December 24 that a three-day curfew would be imposed on Belgrade to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus. This decision was immediately met with strong opposition from the opposition and the population, who believed that instead of taking effective anti-epidemic measures, they used the epidemic as an excuse to deprive the people of their freedoms and rights. They also accused ** of fraud and manipulation in the parliamentary elections held on June 21, fabricating the victory of the ruling party.
On the evening of December 25, the ** people began to assemble in the center of Belgrade, chanting slogans such as "Vucic" and "Freedom", demanding that the curfew be lifted, that fair elections be held again, and that the will of the people be respected. Some radical ** people also threw stones, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at the police in an attempt to break through the ** line and enter the parliament building. ** Tear gas, water cannons and batons are used to try to disperse **. The standoff between the two sides lasted for several hours and left several people injured, including police officers and journalists.
At an emergency meeting of the committee held that night, Vučić condemned the occurrence of **, saying that it was a premeditated political violence aimed at overthrowing the legitimate ** and undermining the stability and security of Serbia. He also accused some foreign forces, especially Western countries, of interfering in Serbia's internal affairs, supporting and inciting the opposition and **. He said that he would resolutely maintain law and order and punish all those involved in illegal activities. He also called on the international community to respect Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and not to interfere in Serbia's internal affairs.
Serbian Prime Minister Brnabic thanked the Russian intelligence services in an interview with **, saying that they provided Serbia with intelligence about ** in advance and helped Serbia prepare for the response. He said that Russia is a true friend and ally of Serbia, and they always give Serbia support and help when Serbia is facing difficulties and crises.
The European Union, the United States, Russia and other countries and organizations have issued statements expressing concern about the situation in Serbia and calling on both sides to exercise restraint, resolve their differences through dialogue and peaceful means, and avoid escalation of violence. At the same time, they also urged Serbia** to respect the basic rights and freedoms of the people, safeguard the principles of democracy and the rule of law, properly handle the epidemic and elections, and respond to the reasonable demands of the people.