Serbian patriarch calls for an end to violence against demonstrators

BELGRADE, Serbia (OSV News) -- Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije expressed shock and condemnation over violence perpetrated by Serbian law enforcement against demonstrators during anti-government protests that have lasted for nearly three months.

Decrying that a third student had been seriously injured during the demonstrations, the patriarch said that he expects "that those guilty of these and all other criminal acts will be punished in accordance with the law."

"Violence is against all Christian principles and as such is unacceptable, especially towards our students," the patriarch said in a Jan. 28 statement published by the patriarchate in Belgrade.

"Violence has never brought anyone anything good," he said, inviting "everyone to return to basic human and Christian values. I pray to God to restore our sanity, peace and love, which are missing in this difficult moment."

The protests in Serbia were triggered by the collapse of the bus shelter at the Novi Sad train station Nov. 1, 2024, a tragedy that killed 15 and injured two seriously.

The protesters said the accident was caused by corruption among Serbian authorities. Many groups, including professors and business owners, joined the primary protesters -- university students -- for a strike of "general civil disobedience" on Jan. 24. AP reported the strike was a 24-hour blockade of a key traffic intersection in the capital, Belgrade, and said "farmers on tractors and thousands of citizens" joined in as well.

Four days later, on Jan. 28, following violence by state forces inflicted on protesters, Serbia's Prime Minister Milos Vucevic stepped down.

President Aleksandar Vucic, speaking from the Jan. 20-24 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, denounced the interference of "foreign agents from several Western countries" and accused the West of fueling the unrest. "We know this for a fact," Vucic said.

ABC News reported that hours after the prime minister resigned, "thousands of protesters poured" into the streets of Novi Sad continuing to call for "political change." The situation in the country remains tense as new elections are on the horizon.