SNS says Angelina Vucic was attacked near Kalenic market
Aleksandar Vucic's mother was attacked in Belgrade, the SNS claims. The attack was reported to police, who have not commented in the sources we reviewed.
Angelina Vucic (82), the mother of Aleksandar Vucic, was attacked close to Kalenic market in Belgrade, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) said on Sunday, October 25. The party says the attack has been reported to police. The sources we reviewed contain no statement from police or prosecutors, and the attackers have not been identified.
The statement arrived at about 12:20 p.m. and was carried by the Tanjug news agency and the K1info portal. It describes Aleksandar Vucic as a member of the SNS Presidency. Everything below is a claim by the party and the newspaper Informer, and there is no independent confirmation of the incident so far.
What does the SNS say happened?
According to the statement, Angelina Vucic was attacked by a group of younger men. The description of the attackers is the party’s, not ours:
“A group of younger men, of a blockader political orientation, pushed Angelina Vucic, yelled at her and tore the bags of groceries she was carrying from the market.”
The party went on to condemn the incident in the rest of the statement:
“Such behavior is an unacceptable act of aggression, humiliation and intimidation that deserves the strongest condemnation. No one’s mother, no one’s grandmother and no woman should be the target of violence over political differences. There is no justification for aggression against a woman who is a target of the blockaders only because she is the mother of Aleksandar Vucic.”
The SNS demands an urgent response from the authorities, a full establishment of the circumstances and accountability for everyone involved. It expects a clear condemnation from all political actors. On the report to police and what it expects from institutions, the statement reads:
“Angelina Vucic has reported the attack to the police, and we expect the institutions to act without delay, professionally and in accordance with the law. We will not stay silent in the face of violence, nor will we allow aggression and intimidation to be presented as a legitimate form of political struggle. Those who think they can impose their will through violence must understand that in Serbia the law must apply to everyone.”
The sources we reviewed contain no reactions from other political actors.
Where did the attack happen?
The sources differ on details. The SNS says the attack took place in the immediate vicinity of Kalenic market while Angelina Vucic was carrying groceries from the market. According to the statement, her bags were torn.
The newspaper Informer, cited by the portal Mondo, claims she was attacked right after voting and that she was insulted and had a bag of groceries taken from her. The Mondo headline refers to a polling station, but the text itself says only that it happened after voting. The exact location therefore remains unreconciled between the sources, as does whether the bags were torn or one bag was taken.
What is known about the investigation?
Mondo, citing Informer, reports that the attack has been reported to police and that an investigation is under way, with all the facts to be established in it. That is Informer’s claim, not a statement from a competent authority.
As of publication, the sources contain no information on the identity of the people the SNS describes as the attackers, and no report of an arrest. Because no one has been named, there is also no response from them to the party’s allegations.
An attack on election day
The incident was reported on the day of the snap parliamentary elections. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., and an election silence is in force until then. The single voter register lists 6,450,523 voters, and they are choosing among 18 electoral lists.
