General brawl between security personnel and citizens in front of the Belgrade Assembly

(Patria) - Opposition councilors are obstructing the work of the Belgrade City Assembly by standing in front of the podium and the seats of the presiding officers with Serbian flags and continuously playing the anthem. Councilors of the ruling party are acting as if nothing is happening, like the members of the National Assembly on Monday, and are voting.

Tensions are high in front of the Assembly building. According to an N1 reporter, a fight broke out between the gathered crowd and security personnel.

The fight occurred when citizens started to remove a fence, and security personnel jumped over the fence and began to fight with the crowd.

At one point, a serious physical altercation occurred. One man fell on the sidewalk. It appears someone sprayed a security guard, possibly with pepper spray or tear gas. The erected fence is completely disheveled.

Security personnel were doused with red paint.

The situation calmed down after a few minutes.

Gathered citizens in front of the City Assembly are throwing eggs and red paint at the city assembly building.

At the beginning of the session, the opposition called on the ruling councilors to stand while the anthem was playing, which they did not do.

The President of the City Assembly, Nikola Nikodijević, after a five-minute break during which the anthem continued to play in the hall, stated that the session must continue regardless of the circumstances. The session is being broadcast live by TV Studio B and can also be followed on the official YouTube channel of the City of Belgrade.

He called on the councilors to participate in the work and, despite the noise, to read the proposals for supplementing the agenda. Although no one can hear him, the ruling councilors are raising their hands and voting. The agenda was passed, and the session continues.

It all began when the president of the Kreni-promeni councilor group, Savo Manojlović, after everyone entered the hall shortly after 10 a.m., asked for and was granted the floor, stating that this was not the time to hold a session.

Before the start of the session, more police and private security personnel than councilors and activists who announced they would read their demands before the session began, arrived in front of the City Assembly this morning.

While activists of the initiative “Most ostaje” (The Bridge Remains) and supporters of the Freedom and Justice Party blocked traffic on Nikola Pašić Square this morning, in front of the entrance to the city assembly, they unfurled two banners reading “Corruption Kills” and carried banners saying “Your Hands Are Bloody”.

According to an N1 reporter, opposition councilors are arriving for the scheduled session, but it is unknown how they will behave in the hall.

The opposition, which has no councilors in the Belgrade parliament, is performing “Fake Roundabout” in front of the building, symbolizing Mayor Aleksandar Šapić’s intentions to open roundabouts wherever he pleases.

Members of the opposition from SSP, holding banners, are circling this improvised roundabout.

More than 20 vehicles belonging to the Police Brigade, with units in riot gear, arrived at the parking lot in front of the Old Palace before the start of the Belgrade City Assembly session.

In front of the entrance to the Belgrade City Administration, there are private security personnel controlling everyone entering the building.

Security personnel are wearing caps and black jackets with the “Atlas security” logo and are identifying everyone who attempts to enter the City Administration building.

Activists of the “Most ostaje” initiative have scheduled a gathering and the reading of their demands before today’s session.

MP of ZLF and former City Assembly councilor, Dobrica Veselinović, posted a video on the social network X showing the installation of metal fences.

He wrote with the video: “Here’s how SNS and Šapić welcome the councilors of the Belgrade City Assembly from early morning…”

The agenda of the City Assembly includes, among other things, the rebalancing of the budgets of city public utility companies and detailed urban planning regulations for the city.

As reported by Nova.rs, the President of the Belgrade City Assembly, Nikola Nikodijević, proposed that the agenda include a proposal for a decision granting consent to the Secretariat for Public Transport to unilaterally terminate the public-private partnership agreement for public suburban and local passenger transport concluded with a private consortium, due to non-fulfillment of contractual obligations.

The agenda also includes, among other things, the decision to terminate the public transport agreement from September 2023. The media states that this concerns the termination of the contract with Lasta, Strela, and Lastra, again before the Belgrade Assembly, which was previously removed from the agenda after an employee strike. This morning, before the session, citizens’ arrival was also announced.