Stress, lack of sleep, sadness, anger. If you ask me how I feel on the morning of September 6 - in short. And not only because of what happened to me, but because of everything Serbia witnessed the night before in Novi Sad and how certain media later took my statement out of context.
I was in the capital of Vojvodina on Friday, reporting from the protest and - I almost ended up in the police station and police station, regardless of the fact that I was registered as a journalist.
I found myself with a group of people crowded against the fence of the children's playground, and then I lay on the grass for about fifteen minutes, my head stuck to the ground, waiting for the ambulance or some other police action.
I must have said more than five times that I was a journalist and asked if I could contact the newsroom, to which I received answers that they didn't care that I was a journalist, threats that I wouldn't accidentally record... They took my phone that was connected to an external battery, checked that the recording was not turned on, and then threw it at my feet while I was lying with my head facing the ground - in a yellow vest with a clear sign that I was a journalist.
They also told me that I would be able to contact the editors from the station, if it turns out that I really am a journalist.
What happened a few minutes ago?
It was 22.50:21.30 p.m. when, after the first clashes between the police and the demonstrators, around XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. in front of the Faculty of Philosophy, and after the police had pushed the citizens away from the faculty building up and down Zorana Đinđić Street and Sunčani Quay, firing huge amounts of tear gas, they moved on to push back the crowd, who then mostly stood quietly and waited to see what would happen next. People seemed ready to stay there, despite the tear gas that suffocated them and burned their eyes.
Marija_Novi_Sad_32Photo: Marija Janković
The citizens were numerous, but the police in equipment to break up the demonstrations were not few either. After the first suppression of those gathered at the college, two large police vehicles with additional policemen came from the direction of the campus - to disperse the remaining citizens, who themselves were taking refuge under the impact of tear gas.
Fear
The police did not spare him during the evening of September 5. I don't know how everything looked like 25 years ago and less than a month ago - I was too young to witness the events of October 5, 2000, but last night I witnessed - I can freely say - the attack by the police on the citizens of this country, who came there precisely to oppose the police brutality a few days ago also in the capital of Vojvodina.
When someone told the dozens gathered at the end of the campus that they were all going to the Waterworks, the people obeyed and headed in that direction, but the police also followed them. In the cordon, along two streets and the park that separates them.
Marija_Novi_Sad_35Photo: Marija Janković
I was there in the first row, to accompany the actions of the police, and then the policemen started running, so I ran too and found myself in a crowd of visibly upset and scared people running away across the meadow. I ran down - where the police were pushing the crowd, and then we came across a slight downhill and came to a fence. Some jumped over the fence, I stayed down. Driven into a police impasse.
When the police approached, several people next to me said they were first responders, I said I was a novice, turned around so the police could see the vest with the word "PRESS" on it. The girl from the emergency room grabbed my arm. I felt fear in her hand. I was afraid myself, because I didn't know what would happen.
They also told us that they don't care who we are, where our "m***a" are now, that now they will "pump us up". A policeman told me and the people from the ambulance to go to the other side, but his colleagues were also on the other side and then they ordered us to climb up and lie down on the ground.
Protest in Novi Sad: Nine conclusions
I repeated that I was a journalist - they still weren't interested. They were saying all sorts of nasty things - I was trying to concentrate on my own breathing and calm down the stress I was feeling, so I didn't really hear every word.
After a few minutes, they moved us closer to the street, and told us to lie down there - with our feet facing the street, our heads on the ground, our hands on our heads... I tried several times to look up and see what the cordon in front of us was doing, I glanced at the people around me, but the policemen warned us to stick our heads to the ground. I noticed next to me the girl who had extended her hand to me a few minutes ago. Her face was turned towards the ground, I told her to breathe from her stomach, hoping she could hear me and that would help her calm down.
Marija_Novi_Sad_06Photo: Marija Janković
They forced those who had helmets to take them off. I repeated once again that I am a journalist and asked to contact the editorial office, they told me "no". I didn't ask them that anymore. After a few minutes, one of the police officers who passed over my head commented that there were journalists among those detained.
Someone ordered the policemen to take off their masks, and after they took them off, they commented on the impact of the tear gas, that it felt really strong. At that time, the means they used against the gathered people also bothered them.
“Journalist, get up!”
Then the command was heard from the motorola to start taking them out one by one and legitimizing them and taking them to the station.
I lay like that for another five minutes, until someone said: "Journalist, get up!". They then asked me for a journalist's ID, asked who I work for and said that if everything is in order, I will be able to go and continue working. I then saw several paramedics, ready to take those who were forced to lie on the grass to the station.
Marija_Novi_Sad_01Photo: Marija Janković
The policeman who took my accreditation called the commander or whoever and said that among the "18-19 people" there was also a journalist and that if everything was in order, he would let her go." Approval was heard from the other side of Motorola.
They took my identity card and accreditation and then allowed me to have a phone conversation. They asked me if I was hurt and if I needed first aid.
Photo: Time / Katarina StevanovićCitizens on the ground, police around them / Photo: Katarina Stevanović
A policeman told me then that they didn't see that I was a journalist, to which I replied that I said that at least five times and that I got the answer that they were not interested in it. He told me that "they wear masks and helmets, so they can't hear and see everything properly".
After ten minutes, they returned my documents and apologized for the incident.
I turned and looked at the people still lying on the ground. I felt anger and sadness that they were lying there and that they would probably be taken into custody.
Photo: Marija JankovićPhoto: Marija Janković
I stayed there for a few more minutes. She contacted my newsroom, joined the N1 program, since their team was there. I said in the program that the police did not hit anyone in that place. I was wrong - my head was turned towards the ground, I didn't see if they were hitting someone. What I saw later was that some media took my statement out of context and said that I admitted that the police did not beat me.
I'm even more furious about that.
When I came home, I saw a bruise on my thigh. I don't know when exactly it was created.
Beg
The rally in Novi Sad due to police brutality and the fact that the police raided the faculties began at 19 p.m.
After almost two hours of the program, the students invited the crowd to go to the building of the Faculty of Philosophy.
After a few minutes, the Ministry of Interior announced that they had a tip-off that an attack on the police was being prepared.
A police cordon was set up in front of the Faculty of Philosophy building to break up the demonstrations.
Everything, since the citizens came to the faculty, became creepy and reeked of conflict.
In the first rows, several girls were talking to the policemen, there were gathered with masks, who seemed ready for a conflict. Shortly after the gathered people reached Filozofski, the police sent several warnings not to disturb public order and peace.
At one point there was a fight - from both sides. First, paint was thrown at the police, then there were more serious incidents - pyrotechnic devices were thrown from both sides. The police were ready for an attack. Several cannon shots were fired, shock bombs were thrown - from both sides. Some of the gathered demonstrators brought a part of the fence and then a stronger conflict between the gathered and the police began. The police intervened by firing a chemical agent to disperse the protesters. Tear gas was thrown, so people started to run.
Bes
Then there was an even bigger burst of tear gas. Two female students later told me that such a quantity of tear gas had never been fired in Novi Sad.
People were literally suffocating, and at one point I was breathing hard, I could barely see. Fortunately, there were people with first aid.
Last night, the police again brutally intervened against the citizens who in the vast majority protested peacefully. This time I felt it on my own skin. And how does it feel this morning? I'm furious.
I wondered if I had done something wrong. I didn't. I was just on the ground trying to report what was happening. The police prevented me from doing so.
