Mass murders, domestic aggression, a fight in parliament, police violence: in Serbia and other countries in the Western Balkans, the attitude that violence is a means of resolving conflicts is widespread. Not only personal.
Violence is a problem in many countries around the world. In Serbia, however, it is tolerated and encouraged by the state authorities. What is more: violence is used by the political class as a means of maintaining power.
In Serbia and other countries in Southeast Europe, the functioning of democratic forms of government - parliamentarism, separation of powers, freedom of speech and media, the right to demonstrate - has been hindered from the very beginning by violence as an accepted means of conflict resolution.
The recurring cases of amok in Serbia and other countries in the Western Balkans are particularly striking. In May 2023, at the Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade, a man killed nine children and a security guard with two guns, one of which belonged to his father. Just a day later, in Mladenovac, a 21-year-old man shot nine children and wounded 13 others. And in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje earlier this year, a 41-year-old man killed 12 people.
Violence also in the home
In families, men often use violence against their wives or partners. According to data from the Commissioner for Equality Brankica Janković, 430 women have been murdered in Serbia in the past 14 years. The view that women are the property of men is still widespread in Serbian society. At the end of 2023, the Serbian Ministry of Culture published a survey according to which 85% of citizens consider violence against women a personal problem that should not be interfered with. But the situation in neighboring countries is not much better.
Against this backdrop, in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, a fierce discussion is currently taking place about why no one prevented a femicide in the center of the city of Mostar, even though the victim was running through the streets of the city, screaming to escape her former partner. Such outbreaks of violence would not have been possible if there were fewer weapons in circulation in the Western Balkans region, which date back to the wars during the breakup of Yugoslavia (1991-1999). There are officially registered 770,000 weapons, and according to some estimates, their number reaches even two million.
Violence in public spaces
Fights are not uncommon in the parliaments of Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Physical fights between deputies and opposition representatives are also common in municipal councils in all three countries.
Another dark page in Serbian society is violence against representatives of the judiciary. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić regularly publicly criticizes judges and prosecutors for the fact that sentences and prosecutions do not reflect his views. In March 2025, over 600 judges and prosecutors expressed their bitter dissatisfaction with the president in an open letter. They accused him of "enslaved" and "humiliated" the judiciary. According to them, the ultimate goal is to be subjugated, which leads to the trampling of the democratic principles of the state structure in Serbia.
The media as a megaphone of power
Another huge problem is the censorship and centralization of the media in Serbia, which are one of the central sources of hatred, discrimination and slander. They have been turned into a propaganda machine and mouthpiece for Vučić. The head of state has direct control over practically all media - print, television and digital.
With the disinformation they spew, the controlled media have created a virtual world for citizens that no longer has anything to do with reality. Aggression, hate speech and sensationalism, as well as false stories are encountered every day. Everything is subordinated to the goal of preserving the power of the ruling elite and discrediting its opponents.
Vučić - generator of violence and its beneficiary
The main generator of violence in Serbia and its beneficiary is the head of state. As in previous years, in 2025, by mid-November, he had appeared on television nearly 350 times - probably a world record. Unique on a global scale is also the fact that Vučić never allows discussion partners: he asks the questions himself so that he can answer them. And his main messages are warnings about alleged enemies: Croats, Bosnians, Albanians, the EU, the USA, the Council of Europe, the UN or individuals such as George Soros or the Rockefeller family, from whom Vučić protects the citizens of Serbia.
Many Serbian experts, such as psychologists Zarko Trebesanin and Mila Jovanovic, criticize Vučić's language as "street slang". He calls his opponents "monsters", "vultures", "hyenas", "traitors". For him, lawyers are "scum", professors are "lazy", oppositionists are "criminals", "fascists" or "foreign mercenaries". This confrontational and vulgar vocabulary is already having a toxic effect on the country's youth. Vučić's excessive presence in print and digital media serves to instill fear. His threats are part of his way of governing.
Promoting violence leads to its acceptance
And so the circle closes: the promotion of violence by senior politicians in the public sphere leads to the acceptance of violence in private life as well.
This interaction is manifested in the ongoing protests against the regime under Vučić's sole leadership. Countless cases of excessive violence by the police, football hooligans, or groups of thugs sent there by the head of state have been documented.
At the same time, Vučić orders the judiciary to arrest and punish critics and demonstrators on unfounded pretexts. However, he himself pardons violent people who acted in his interest and were convicted by one or another "disobedient" judge.