Serbia cannot accept violent street protests | Letter

Serbia’s deep engagement with Europe is hardly consistent with the idea of it as an ‘authoritarian’ and ‘malign’ outlier in the region, says the country’s president Aleksandar Vučić

I write in response to your editorial on Serbia (25 August). Over the past nine months, Serbia has experienced more than 23,000 unauthorised rallies. Most were small, sometimes just a few dozen people, but they disturbed daily life, brought government to a halt, and recently turned violent. More than 170 police officers have been injured. Despite this, police actions have remained limited and restrained, and have targeted only those who damaged property or assaulted officers.

The initial demands of student protesters late last year were met promptly. We opened investigations, released thousands of documents on the railway station renovation and boosted education funding, and the prime minister resigned, taking responsibility for youth clashes over the issue. Nevertheless, demonstrations continued, shifting away from seeking justice and toward overt political aims: the removal of the government outside democratic processes.