EC for N1 on assault on Djilas: We expect authorities to investigate violent incident

zgrada Evropske komisije, EK, zgrada EK, sedište EK
Shutterstock/ Aliaksandr Antanovich

European Commission (EC) spokesperson for Enlargement, Guillaume Mercier, said the EC expects the relevant authorities to duly investigate and ensure an effective judicial follow-up to the violent incident involving Dragan Djilas, leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), and his colleague Djordje Aleksic, who were assaulted.

“The EU is aware of the violent incident which involved the leader of an opposition party and a Member of Parliament,” Mercier told N1.

He said violence should have no place in political processes, and all political players have a responsibility to foster political dialogue and uphold an atmosphere of tolerance and de-escalation.

On Thursday evening, Dragan Djilas and Djordje Aleksic confronted a group of men in the streets of Belgrade who were putting up posters labeling Djilas as a thief. The men then attacked Djilas and Aleksic, hitting and “brutally kicking” them, as Aleksic described. Following the assault, they sought treatment at the emergency center. They said that Djilas was assaulted by Luka Petrovic, a senior official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Belgrade City Investment Secretary. Petrovic claims that Djilas threw the first punch.