Citizens entered Informer and interrupted the broadcast

A group of citizens entered the building of the private Serbian television station “Informer“ in Belgrade at around 18:40 on October 26 and interrupted the broadcast of a live broadcast. At that moment, the editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vučićević was in the studio together with journalists from the media outlet.

According to the Radio and Television of Serbia, the citizens first gathered in front of the entrance and then entered the studio. After several minutes of shouting matches with the journalists, they left the editorial office. The regular program was interrupted, and the television began broadcasting recordings of the incident.

During the live broadcast, Vučićević called the police and the Emergency Service to ensure the evacuation of the employees. He also called Ilia Srdanović, associated with the Student List, with a request to influence the gathered citizens.

„You have said a lot of things about me, a lot of lies - I simply cannot believe that you are telling the truth now“, Srdanović replied, according to N1.

N1 reports that after leaving the building, the citizens remained in the courtyard, and later gathered again around Vučićević in another part of the site. Police units, including officers in riot gear, arrived in front of the building. According to the media outlet, there was also a scuffle between citizens and police officers.

Different versions of what happened

The editorial staff of “Informer“ stated that the gendarmerie had evacuated all employees and that they were safe. The television station also claimed that citizens had broken a window, damaged the front door and destroyed computers, tables and chairs.

These claims were presented by the television station itself. In the independent reports published so far, there is no confirmed data on the exact amount of damage or on the initiation of criminal proceedings. There has also been no official information from the police about any detainees.

The incident unfolded the day after the parliamentary elections in Serbia, in which the Student List declared victory. The connection between the entry into the building and the election events has not been officially established.

Sources: rts.rs, n1info.rs, danas.rs