Attack on the Old Sava Bridge protest near Belgrade Waterfront

Category: Violence against citizens

Period: from 27 Nov 2024

Outcome: Under investigation (as of 27 Jan 2025)

During the blockade at Belgrade Waterfront on 27 November 2024, a group of plainclothes men attacked citizens defending the Old Sava Bridge, and uniformed police arrived only after almost half an hour. The attackers reportedly included municipal and party officials of the SNS, and students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts also name the head of the Public Order and Peace Department, Mladen Radenković. Only on 27 January 2025, two months later, did the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office request information from the police and an internal affairs interview with the department head.

Attack on the blockade

On 27 November 2024, the Most ostaje initiative blocked the junction of Woodrow Wilson Boulevard and Nikolaja Kravcova Street at Belgrade Waterfront in protest against the removal of the Old Sava Bridge. A few minutes later, a group of men in plain clothes, some of them masked, attacked those gathered. Uniformed police officers arrived only almost half an hour after the first incidents, by which time things had calmed down.

Attacked and injured

Student and activist Pavle Cicvarić says an attacker pulled a knife on him. An N1 reporter and camera operator were also attacked, and the Serbia Centre party said a pair of masked men attacked a party official, who sustained bodily injuries.

Officials among the attackers

Seven men from the group of attackers were reportedly identified through facial comparison, among them Zemun Municipality President Gavrilo Kovačević and his assistant Predrag Jevremović, Barajevo Municipal Council members Goran Cvijetić and Aleksandar Delić, SNS official Dejan Paunović, and Aleksandar Čavić. The Zemun and Barajevo municipalities and the SNS did not respond to the outlet's inquiries.

Mayor Aleksandar Šapić said he saw nothing questionable about the presence of municipal presidents and officials of city-owned companies.

Faculty of Dramatic Arts students' list

On 18 December 2024, Faculty of Dramatic Arts students in blockade published an expanded list of people they consider to have taken part in attacks in various incidents and asked the Interior Ministry to confirm their identities. For the incident near Woodrow Wilson Boulevard, they also named the head of the Public Order and Peace Department, Mladen Radenković, Rakovica Municipal Council member Vesna Čingelić and New Belgrade Municipal Council member Stefan Pantelić Stefanović, alongside the officials also identified by the newsroom.

Head of the Public Order and Peace Department

A KTV television crew reportedly filmed Radenković near Belgrade Waterfront telling the attackers “Enough, guys”. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office instructed the Internal Control Sector to interview M.R., head of the Public Order and Peace Department, and establish whether his actions constituted the elements of a criminal offence or another breach of official duty.

Complaints and prosecution proceedings

On 4 December 2024 the Most ostaje initiative announced criminal complaints against 25 identified people, and on 28 January 2025 it filed complaints against Aleksandar Vučić, Šapić and Ivica Dačić. On 27 January 2025 the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade asked the Police Directorate for information on those who took part in the gathering.

As of early February 2025 there was no official information on an investigation into the people on the students' list.

Participants

Mladen Radenković: He allegedly took part in the incident and told the attackers “Enough, guys”, while uniformed police arrived only after almost half an hour (responsible)
Gavrilo Kovačević: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Predrag Jevremović: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Goran Cvijetić: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Aleksandar Delić: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Dejan Paunović: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Aleksandar Čavić: He was allegedly in the group of men who attacked people gathered at the blockade near Belgrade Waterfront (responsible)
Vesna Čingelić: According to the students' list, she took part in the incident near Belgrade Waterfront in which citizens gathered there were attacked (responsible)
Stefan Pantelić Stefanović: According to the students' list, he took part in the incident near Belgrade Waterfront in which citizens gathered there were attacked (responsible)
Aleksandar Šapić: He said he saw nothing wrong with municipal mayors being present at the blockade before the incidents (commented on the case)
Serbia Centre (SRCE): It said that two masked men attacked one of its officials while he was protesting peacefully (harmed)
„The Bridge Stays“ Initiative: It organised the blockade, announced criminal complaints against 25 people and filed complaints against Vučić, Šapić and Dačić (oversight and the public)
Faculty of Dramatic Arts students in blockade: They published a list of people they consider participants in the attack and demanded that the Interior Ministry confirm their identities (oversight and the public)
Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Special Department for Combating Corruption: Only after two months did it ask the police for information on those who took part in the gathering, and ask internal control for an interview with the head of the Department (investigation and courts)
Belgrade City Police Department: The prosecution ordered it to identify and interview everyone who took part in the gathering and to establish who the possible perpetrator was (investigation and courts)
Internal Control Sector of the Interior Ministry (MUP): The prosecution ordered it to interview M.R., head of the Public Order and Peace Department, and to examine his actions (investigation and courts)

Victims and others harmed

Pavle Cicvarić