Violence Escalates in Serbia: 'State-Controlled Phalanxes Give Impunity Wings'

Serbia is experiencing an "epidemic of violence" with attacks occurring almost daily, according to drag performer Aleksandar Savić, who was recently assaulted in public transport. Savić, known for dressing in drag for entertainment, suffered injuries to his eye and leg. The incident, which involved homophobic slurs, has prompted police to seek surveillance footage to identify the attacker.

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I think we are all witnesses that there is literally an epidemic of violence in this country and that it has not been solved for years, and therefore it has now escalated.

On the same day, anti-war activist and writer Vladimir Arsenijević was also attacked. The First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has requested video surveillance recordings related to Arsenijević's case. He has given a statement to the police and submitted medical documentation detailing his injuries.

Historian and university professor Dubravka Stojanović commented that impunity is emboldening perpetrators, linking the current atmosphere to a decades-long "ruling ideology" where nationalism inherently involves violence. "There is no nationalism without violence," she stated.

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Of course, we are now in a special moment where impunity is something that gives everyone wings, but we must not separate all this from the ruling ideology, which has been here for decades - because nationalism in itself has violence. There is no nationalism without violence.

Activists like Sofija Todorović from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights noted that critics of the government, including students, public figures, and ordinary citizens, are frequent targets. She questioned who is behind these attacks, suggesting the current climate has been carefully cultivated over many years.

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Who presses that button or who perhaps pressed it 10 years ago, because this atmosphere did not arise yesterday? This atmosphere is nurtured, grown carefully and diligently maintained.

In response to the attack on Arsenijević, civil society organizations across the region have launched a petition demanding an end to the relativization and glorification of war crimes. Maja Stojanović of Civic Initiatives stated that "phalanges," which she described as groups not acting independently but clearly under state control, are applying physical violence. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, responsible for protecting rights and fostering dialogue, has remained silent on the recent attacks, although the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Milan Antonijević, has called for the attackers to be identified.

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We have these phalanges, which are not self-organized, not self-financed, but in every situation, we have people who are very clearly under state control who apply physical violence.