Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said late on Tuesday that citizens do not want a Serbia where they are unsure whether they can take their children to school, as he defended his restrained response to ongoing street protests and blockades across the country.
Speaking to pro-government broadcaster TV Informer, Vučić said some had criticized him for not taking harsher action against demonstrators, but insisted that using force would have led to long-term regret.
“I don’t want a Serbia where people are afraid to go out, to take their children to school or kindergarten,” Vučić said. “That’s why I’ve resisted harsher reactions – because a month or two later, I would regret it.”
Vučić said that despite “incredibly difficult conditions,” the government had succeeded in preserving peace and preventing violence. He claimed a decline in public support for protesters, whom he accused of trying to trigger a “colored revolution.”
“The people see what is happening. They see the truth,” he said, adding that nationwide protests had drawn no more than 22,000 participants at their peak and fewer than 9,000 in total on Tuesday.
The president also criticized student protests and disruptions at universities, saying an entire academic year had been lost. “We can pretend everything is fine, but we’ve fallen behind our competitors. You can’t play a game if you haven’t trained for a year,” Vučić said.
He dismissed claims of growing momentum among opposition groups, pointing to repeated local elections in the town of Kosjerić, where his SNS party’s list “We Don’t Give Up on Serbia – Aleksandar Vučić” won 197 votes to the opposition’s 153, with turnout exceeding 81.5%.
“This shows the people’s will has changed. People don’t want a revolution of garbage bins and hatred,” Vučić said, referring to clashes where protesters used dumpsters to block roads.
He reiterated that essential infrastructure – including Belgrade’s Gazela bridge, the Kolubara coal mines, and the TENT power plant – would not be allowed to be blocked again, warning that future attempts would lead to arrests.
“You will never occupy the airport. Everyone will be arrested. We won’t tolerate the blocking of critical infrastructure anymore,” Vučić said.
He criticized an earlier decision by prosecutors not to press charges against some protesters, calling the move “shocking.” He also expressed regret for declaring there would be no pardons, saying he would consider leniency for some young demonstrators to save their careers.
Turning to foreign investment, Vučić called on opposition leaders to help attract investors from countries like China or Japan. “Everyone is welcome to help build Serbia, but I fear they are only interested in destruction,” he said.
He also announced the upcoming opening of a new German PWO factory in Čačak and the completion of the Požega highway by Sunday, hailing both as signs of economic progress.
On Kosovo, Vučić condemned Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s latest actions, including laying the foundation stone for two new bridges in Mitrovica, and said Serbia had filed protests with Western countries.
“We must unite to protect our people and our homeland,” Vučić said.
He also publicly reprimanded European Integration Minister Nemanja Starović for being photographed with a glass of wine near Kurti at a regional summit in Skopje, calling it inappropriate given Kurti’s policies toward ethnic Serbs in Kosovo.