Schieder: Curtain of silence over Serbia’s autocratization must fall

“The state-sponsored escalation of violence in Serbia in recent weeks is unprecedented. The attacks on opposition representatives and demonstrators are shocking and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The regime has used disproportionate police force in the past, but now, under pressure from the ongoing protests, Vucic is pushing the spiral of escalation to its peak. He is indiscriminately defaming protesters as criminals and threatening his own people.

“These acts of intimidation, born out of a fear of losing power, should not be the words of a democratic head of state with ambitions of joining the EU. At the same time, his reaction shows just how much public opinion in the country has already changed due to the violent crackdown on protesters. The days of public support for Vucic’s policies are numbered. A change in power has long been the will of the people, the government is simply resisting it with violence,” said Schieder.

He added that things are looking bleak in Serbia and that the protests should finally resonate internationally as well.

“As the European Union, we must not draw a curtain of silence over Serbia’s autocratization to protect our own interests. This misguided restraint must finally be broken by the European Commission. Vucic’s political allies in particular, the European People’s Party, must finally wipe away this blind spot,” Schieder emphasized.