Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić issued an apology on Monday after referring to a journalist from the state-run broadcaster RTS as an “imbecile” while criticizing their coverage of a large anti-corruption demonstration over the weekend.
The protest, held in the southern city of Niš on Saturday, drew thousands of demonstrators, marking the latest in a series of rallies condemning corruption in the country. The movement has been gaining momentum since last year’s tragic collapse of a train station, which claimed 15 lives.
Mounting public pressure has already led to the resignation of several top government officials, including the prime minister, who stepped down in January.
During a visit to Bor in eastern Serbia on Sunday, Vučić made the controversial remark about an RTS journalist covering the protests in Niš, accusing them of siding with demonstrators. His comments sparked strong criticism from media rights organizations and the broadcaster itself, prompting demands for an apology.
“We want to do our work without pressure,” RTS said in a statement and called on “all political actors to stop trying to regulate and discipline the media.”
On Monday, Vucic apologised in a statement.
“Regardless of the torture that I go through every day… I have no right to call anyone an imbecile and I apologise to the citizens of Serbia and the journalists of the RTS bureau for doing so,” he said.
In the statement, Vucic however continued to lambast RTS’s reporters for allegedly lacking objectivity in their reporting, saying they were a “disgrace to their profession”.
“They are not journalists, but political activists,” Vucic added.
After Vučić’s remarks, nearly 50 journalists from Niš, representing various media outlets such as Al Jazeera and regional broadcaster N1, issued a signed statement declaring that his apology was inadequate.
“Until a proper public apology is made, we are suspending coverage of all presidential activities,” read the statement.
The station roof collapse in Novi Sad last November occurred after extensive renovations, fueling longstanding public frustration over corruption and alleged failures in overseeing construction and development projects.
Authorities have oscillated between calls for dialogue and accusations that foreign entities are behind the protests.
In an attempt to ease tensions, the government has taken steps to address some of the demands put forward by student organizers.
