SNS MP says Vucic prevented bloodshed

Milenko Jovanov MP (Serbian Progressive Party – SNS) told the pro-regime TV Pink that anyone else in the ruling coalition would have escalated the situation.

Jovanov compared the situation in Iran with the protests in Serbia, saying that “Iran is reported to have killed 30,000 protesters on the streets while we had an attempted colored revolution which lasted 15 months and not one protester was killed, again thanks to President Vucic. If any one of us had been running the country at that time, we would have lost our calm, rationality at some point and would have taken steps that lead to escalation. He did not and all this ended, thank God, in their failure,” he said.

Jovanov’s words drew a reaction from opposition leader Dragan Djilas who said his statement was the most dangerous message from the regime to date. “That they are prepared to open fire on their own people to remain in power,” the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) leader said. “Jovanov tried to praise his boss once more but actually admitted that (Parliament Speaker) Ana Brnabic, (senior SNS official and former PM) Milos Vucevic and he personally as well as the rest of them would have ordered fire opened on the people if they had the opportunity,” Djilas wrote in a written statement.