A serious operation is currently underway by the regime and Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) to break up the opposition, which has already united around all major issues, Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) leader Dragan Djilas told N1.

Commenting the November 1 tragedy in which 14 people lost their lives when a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad train station, he said that “this won’t be the last canopy collapse in Serbia if (Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic remains in power.”

“It has been 11 days since 14 people were killed at the Novi Sad railway station, and no one has been arrested,” Djilas pointed out, adding that when a bridge collapsed in Genoa a few years ago, 59 people were taken to court.

“Here, no one has been charged because the (ruling) Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is currently looking for someone who will take the blame in exchange for payment and promises of a short prison stay,” said Djilas.

When asked about future plans, he responded that the SSP believes that “Vucic can only be defeated with the truth” as “that is the one area where he cannot compete.”

“We are working to inform as many people as possible, in a situation where more than half of Serbia is cut off from information about our activities and what is really happening in this country,” he said.

Once enough people learn the truth, along with improved election conditions (“as much as possible in a dictatorial and autocratic regime”), elections will follow where “that part of Serbia will truly be the majority and able to make change,” he added.

He believes this plan could yield results as early as next year, when early elections might be held in Serbia.

Djilas said that over 10,000 people attended the Monday protest in Belgrade, with his party estimating around 15,000.

“Some criticize the protest for its turnout, others say there should have been ‘something concrete.’ These people came out in terrible weather, in pouring rain, and I think they are all heroes. I am grateful to them. Decent Serbia won at that protest. There wasn’t a single incident, and the hooligans who came were sent away,” Djilas said, adding that the protesters were doctors, teachers, and company workers who stood in the rain for three and a half hours to prevent provocateurs from causing damage.

Protests are about people taking to the streets to express their stance, he said.

The SSP leader claims that no one in the country notices what his party observes.

“There is currently a serious operation by the regime and BIA to break up the opposition, because we have united on the lithium issue. We have united on the Kosovo issue. We have signed demands for parliamentary sessions where we can speak unlimited while they must remain silent. Naturally, this does not suit the authorities, they see their ratings dropping, people are discovering what is happening, and we are seeing these catastrophes,” he emphasized.

He claims that politicians who have always sided with the authorities but “pretend to be opposition when needed during elections” are also involved in breaking up the opposition.

Djilas reiterated that they will insist on the 2023 ODIHR recommendations.

He said that while people show their stance on the streets, parliament is where the battle takes place.

“The opposition has its flaws, but let’s not point a finger at the opposition as the country’s biggest problem. This country’s problems are crime, corruption, societal aggression, lack of institutions, media that destroy people’s lives, and a leader who fulfills foreign states’ demands rather than defending the country’s interests. We are fighting to help more people hear this, get the arguments, and understand what will happen if they remain in power,” he said.

This is not the last canopy collapse in Serbia if Vucic stays in power, said the SSP leader.

When asked if he thinks protests are outdated and if tactics should change, Djilas said that those who have a better plan should present it.

Regarding the parliamentary session that the opposition is demanding, which would include a vote of no-confidence in the government, Djilas says that more important than the unlikely success of the no-confidence vote is the fact that, in the past 11 days, many people in Serbia have not heard the truth about what happened in Novi Sad.

“When parliament is in session, people in Serbia at least have the chance to hear on the RTS (Serbian state TV) second channel some of what is happening and the arguments of those who are currently in opposition and want to remove this government. That is why I think it is very important to discuss this in parliament,” he said.

The protest organizers continue to cooperate on all serious issues, Djilas concluded.