Outgoing PM: Protests orchestrated from abroad

Serbian students have been protesting for more than 2 months, demanding accountability for the deaths of 15 people killed by a collapsed concrete awning at Novi Sad Railway Station. The reconstruction of the station began while Vucevic was mayor of his native city.

He told reporters after announcing his resignation that the best solution for Serbia has to be found “not for any one side or for anyone outside the country”.

Vucevic warned of deep divisions and ensuing protests as the fallout of the tragedy “not in terms of political affiliation, but in terms of the mood that everything is on the verge of conflict”.

Vucevic said that he expects the men who attacked students in Novi Sad overnight to be arrested. “The conflict was caused by someone who wanted to attack SNS offices and the men inside wanted to protect them,” he said and added that graffiti and broken windows on SNS offices are unacceptable. He warned that this has been going on for 3 months and is allegedly painting targets on the backs of SNS officials.

“However much we called for an easing of tensions, something always happened. Whenever there seemed to be hope to get back to social dialogue, it seemed like an invisible hand created an incident and raised tensions,” he said and added that he could never justify or understand the protests, attacks on people who think differently, attacks on students who want to study, professors who want to teach, the terror against school children who want to go to school.