Pred protest which takes place in Belgrade on Saturday (March 15), the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić he stated that he expects the opposition to organize large-scale violence and pointed out that all those who participate in it will be arrested and held accountable for it.
And what will happen? police to do on March 15 - they don't even know that.
A police colonel, in a prominent position in the MUP, says about the new issue of "Vremena", which is on newsstands from Thursday (March 13): "Do you think I would send the police to my two children, students?" They are at all the protests - from Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš, and now Belgrade again."
The police major, an experienced operative, not wanting to defend himself against some actions of members of his unit that are not honorable, indicates that he has never issued such an order, nor will he issue it.
The police reluctantly push the protestors away
The mood of the police can be seen from the protests of the opposition in the past four months - they reluctantly "push away" the participants, in the style of "come on, stand back, we have to protect this, don't put us in an awkward situation".
From the first protests in Novi Sad to the last ones in Belgrade, via Kragujevac and Nis, those who understand these things could see that the police behaved "friendly" towards the participants, not violent at all. Not like the one in the 1990s when protesters were considered enemies.
At the protest in Kragujevac, one of the police officers was doing his best to ensure that the planned plan was carried out in order. And through "motorola" he kept repeating: "Don't let anyone touch those who are coming."
The explanation is simple: "Me and my children will stay to live in this city and I don't want someone to 'spit' on them tomorrow because of their father." The rally in Kragujevac passed without a single incident, because the police were doing their job.
How will the police behave on March 15?
"Those who are hired through party connections will do as they are ordered, and the professionals will not hear every order, not even 'Strela 100' (the central command of the police headquarters)," explains a police officer who has already received an orientation plan of engagement for the new issue of "Vremena". "'They're going to run out of radio.'"
The beating propaganda of SNS is looking for people among the police who will join them, but there are fewer and fewer of them.
In Belgrade, they consider the police brigade from Banovo brdo to be the "striking fist", but even there people subtly cancel obedience for Saturday, calling for days off. In that unit there are also people who travel from the interior of Serbia, like Pirot or Leban, and they say in advance that there will be no transport to Belgrade on Saturday.
Read the full text in new issue of the weekly "Vreme" which hits newsstands on Thursday (March 13). You can subscribe to the print or digital edition here.
