Drama in Belgrade: Kokanović's tractor confiscated

(Patria) - Police in the center of Belgrade detained Zlatko Kokanović, a representative of the "Ne damo Jadar" Association, who came to Belgrade to support the students' protest.

Police officers surrounded Kokanović's tractor, he then climbed onto it, and men in civilian clothes dragged him and finally pulled him off the tractor's roof headfirst.

Zlatko Kokanović from the "Ne damo Jadar" Initiative arrived at today's protest of farmers, students, and citizens at Belgrade's Dimitrija Tucovića Square (Slavija) by tractor. The police then removed the vehicle and issued a fine for illegal parking.

“I arrived by tractor, parked it, two police vans and two jeeps arrived, and about fifty turtles to remove the tractor, due to illegal parking. They said they took it to Sajmište, and we realized they took it to Avala. Now we are waiting to pay for their services” - says Kokanović.

The tractor is a symbol of agriculture, says Kokanović.

“It’s not a tank, but it’s a symbol of survival in agriculture and a symbol of struggle. I didn’t attach a plow to till at Slavija, I just came by tractor” - Kokanović tells Vijesti.ba, explaining why he came to the protests by tractor.

Kokanović says the police were already aggressive, but he expects the authorities to be even more frightened by today's protests.

“They will make more mistakes and absurd moves. Instead of everything passing peacefully, they are raising tensions, threatening detention and arrest, and identifying members of parliament” - says Kokanović.

They expect a large number of people at today's protests, and the reason they are coming by car is the fact that transporters no longer want to drive them by bus.

“They send vehicles for extraordinary technical inspections, issue fines, so we no longer want to put people in unfavorable situations. What they earn cannot cover the fines” - says Kokanović.

As announced on the Instagram pages of student groups that are blockading, from 4:30 PM to 4:45 PM, 15 minutes of silence are planned to honor those who died at the Novi Sad railway station. From 4:45 PM to 6 PM, student performances are planned, followed by cleaning Slavija from 6 PM to 6:45 PM, after which the students will return to the blockades at their faculties. No speeches or speakers have been announced.