Representatives of the Serbian security forces demonstrated professionalism and patience, by carrying out all their tasks during the protest without violence, as would be done in any western country. This was expressed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic.
"The protest itself took place in a democratic atmosphere, which is very important for our country. Everything was as it should be in democratic countries and systems. However, as soon as the event ended, what we expected and what we knew happened happened, Vucic said, adding that the incidents blocking the rail link and a section of the international highway were an exercise of violence and terror of the minority”. above the majority.“
"I want to congratulate the police, the Serbian Security and Information Agency and all our security forces for their professionalism, patience and respect for all the rights of those who do not respect the rights of other people, on the contrary, which is happening in other countries of the world. The planned actions [of the security forces] were carried out without the slightest use of force and I sincerely congratulate the police for that. Those who organized this would conduct [the event] differently in each Western country. I am happy that, despite the violence against the citizens and the country as a whole, we reacted so restrained, peacefully and wisely," the head of state emphasized.
The head of the Ministry of the Interior, Ivica Dacic, said that officials of his department have already detained some participants in the protest in Belgrade against the plans to open a mine for the extraction of the lithium mineral Jadarit, who are suspected of committing crimes and other crimes. The minister noted that police officers continue to work to identify other persons who broke the law during the protest and will certainly be punished for it. Dacic separately emphasized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers did not use force during the entire protest, as well as during the dispersal of the participants who blocked the railway connection the day before, occupying the tracks of the central city station and Novi Belgrade station, and carried out all the actions exclusively within the scope of its powers
Earlier, the head of the law enforcement agency announced that the protest action that took place in Belgrade, in which up to 27 thousand people participated, was organized “according to the scenario of color revolutions”. The blocking of the "Gazelle" bridge, which connects the old and new parts of the city, parts of the international highway E75, as well as the actions of the railway stations "threatened the safety of citizens". Dacic emphasized that all the organizers have been repeatedly warned about responsibility, and violators of order and the law will be punished according to the law.