
European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula condemned the attack on the leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), Dragan Djilas, and SSP member Djordje Aleksic that took place on Thursday evening in Belgrade.
“I strongly condemn the attack on Dragan Djilas and Djordje Aleksic! Public space must not be a training ground for violence against political rivals. Clusters cannot be opened with fists!” Picula wrote in a post on the X social media platform.
Djilas and Aleksic confronted a group of men in the streets of Belgrade who were putting up posters against the SSP leader, leading to a scuffle and an attack in which both opposition figures were injured.
The SSP leader says the group was led by Luka Petrovic, a senior official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Belgrade City Investment Secretary who, he adds, was the first to strike him.
On the other hand, Petrovic says that Djilas threw the first punch and insists that the SNS youth are not afraid and that they defended themselves vigorously.