Academy of Arts: Vučević tries to downplay student's brutal beating

The Dean's Collegium of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad has strongly condemned statements made by Miloš Vučević, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), concerning an incident where a student was severely beaten by SNS activists. The Collegium described Vučević's remarks as an attempt to relativize the brutal assault that occurred between January 27 and 28 of last year, during which the student sustained serious bodily injuries, including a broken jaw.

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We most strongly condemn the attempt to relativize the event that took place on the night between January 27 and 28 last year, in which a student of the Academy of Arts suffered severe bodily injuries.

Vučević had characterized the student as "physically strong, very tall and large," suggesting she injured her chin during a fight and denying claims she was hit with a baseball bat. He asserted that her injuries resulted from pushing and falling. The Dean's Collegium views Vučević's effort to reinterpret the truth of the violent event and assign blame elsewhere as an attack on the victim's dignity.

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physically strong, very tall and large

Furthermore, the Collegium pointed out that Vučević was Prime Minister when the incident occurred. They recalled that he resigned from that position partly due to responsibility for the beating of students by SNS members. His current public statements, they argue, along with the lack of punishment for those responsible, contribute to a societal environment that condones and promotes such behavior.

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she 'fought' and injured her chin in the fight

The Collegium's statement emphasized their sharpest condemnation of any attempt to relativize the events and shift blame, highlighting that such actions undermine the victim's dignity and contribute to a culture of impunity.

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the attempt by Vučević to reinterpret the truth about the brutal event and shift the blame to someone else represents an attack on the dignity of the victim.