Opposition leaders try to force their way into city assembly

SManalysis

Chaotic scenes on Thursday morning in front of the Belgrade City Assembly. Opposition SzS leaders attempt to enter the building by force, but are prevented.

SOURCE: B92, TANJUG THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 | 12:14

According to media reports, supporters of the Alliance for Serbia (SzS) gathered in front of the building, along with a large number of reporters.

Footage from the scene does not show clearly who is who, nor who spoke using a megaphone. Judging by the cursing and the insults, it was one of the SzS members, considering they were "calling out" the city government.

There was a lot of noise, boos, whistles, trumpets, shouts of "fascists." City official Goran Vesic was called "a thief," while journalists received a barrage of insults, including a Prva TV reporter, who was referred to as "an SNS (ruling party) bot."

Tanjug later reported that the session of the Council for Equality was cut short because SzS leaders tried to force their way into the building. The agency also said that SzS leaders Bosko Obradovic, Nikola Jovanovic, and Marko Bastac were seen in front the Assembly.

They asked for the mayor of Belgrade, Zoran Radojicic - whom they called "potted plant, version 2.0" - to address them. An ambulance also arrived to the scene. Those gathered claim that an elderly woman had been taken ill when Bastac allegedly turned his megaphone into her ear, causing her to faint.

According to reports, another woman also felt ill. One of the SzS leaders and head of the coalition's councilor group in the Assembly, Nikola Jovanovic, said he went inside the building and spoke with representatives of the City Administration, "asking if the mayor was in his workplace because he wanted to talk to him as a councilor."

Jovanovic said he received a promise that the mayor would go out and address those gathered. He also claims that he saw Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic in the building, who he said "sent women out to defend it."

A number of women working in the City Administration, including Secretary Natasa Stanisavljevic, Deputy President of the City Assembly Andrea Radulovic and others - who pushed the SzS leaders out of the building - were shouting, "fascists"," while opposition representatives shouted, "Vesic, thief," demanding that the mayor comes out and addresses them.