Serbia's opposition leader Dragan Djilas beaten up

Late this night the leader of the Serbian opposition party "Freedom and Justice" Dragan Djilas was beaten in the centre of Belgrade, a BGNES reporter reported.

Another party activist, Djordje Aleksic, was attacked along with him. They were attacked by a dozen youths who pasted posters describing the opposition leaders as thugs and thieves. In recent days, similar posters have appeared in countless places in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

"We went to ask them why they were doing this thing. Why are they pasting posters that insult certain people. For years they have claimed that they are not theirs, and now it is clear to everyone that they are Aleksandar Vucic's. Years ago, they put similar posters on the school where my child studies," said Djilas after being admitted to the Emergency Centre in Belgrade.

"This is not a quarrel. Certainly the two of us didn't go to fight a dozen people," Djilas also told local television station N1 that night. He said that Luka Petrovic, a municipal councillor from Vucic's party, had told him personally: 'You are a thief and that is why they are putting up posters.'

"They hit us repeatedly. We tried to defend ourselves, but in the end they knocked me to the ground. Djordje tried to defend me, but he was beaten more than me. After they finished beating, they disappeared into the nearby streets without any problem," Dragan Djilas further said.

BGNES recalls that neighbouring Serbia has been gripped by mass protests for several months now. Some are against the production of lithium, others are seeking punishment for those responsible for the fall of the train station in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people. Students from 47 faculties have also been protesting for several weeks. They are all declaring against the authoritarian regime of Aleksandar Vucic. | BGNES