Serbian president’s report on protests called state television reporter apologizes for “stupid”
Belgrade, Serbia (AP) – The populist president of Serbia apologized on Monday, calling a reporter from the state TV broadcaster for “imbecile” after a report of a massive anti-government protest over the weekend.
Since the deadly railway station canopy collapse in November, college students in the Balkan countries have been ruled by the right-wing, pro-Russian government for more than a decade and have been protesting nationwide. Critics blame corruption on government corruption.
Recent protests regularly attract thousands of people and shocked President Aleksandar Vucic’s control over power, including controlling the national RTS TV station and numerous pro-government channels.
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But the National Broadcasting Corporation recently began reporting from the protests, sparking criticism from Vucic and other government officials. Protesters vowed to pursue a free country of justice and rule of law at the latest rally in the NIS Central City on Saturday.
The protesting students said their next big rally will be held in the capital Belgrade on March 15. There Vucic announced a “counter-revolutionary” rally of his supporters, but did not name the date.
As president, Vucic said in a statement Monday that “I have no right to call anyone anyone, I apologize.” He questioned the professionalism and objectivity of RTS journalists, called them “a shame to their profession” and asserted that they were political activists.
State TV broadcaster condemned Vucic for insulting journalists and said in a statement: “No public office holder, no matter what political choice he belongs to, has the right to talk about our colleagues in such an insulting way.”
The president also claimed that he was a victim of an “unconstitutional” attempt planned by Western spy agencies to cancel or kill him, saying that illegal roads, railways and institutions in Serbia have been blocked in recent months.
He said the protests were targeted by a “fabricated, essentially non-existent requirement” by a few people in the country.
