The intimidation by the use of the police, with which Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has been threatening citizens who "dare" to come to a civil protest on February 15, through the media and in all-day performances, reached its climax on the night of 10/11. March, when he visited a gendarme who, as he "professionally" explained, was hit with a "boxer" by one of the participants of the student protest.
Vučić, as well as his advisers, does not know that "boxers" are a tool that has long since disappeared from the streets of Belgrade. Basically, after the monologue, he also showed contempt for the coalition partner, the president of the Socialist Party of Serbia, Ivica Dačić. Namely, even though Vučić was not his superior on any basis, Dacić said in a condescending tone in front of the Pink and Informer television cameras at one o'clock in the morning: "President, if I may just add... I have to say that there was no police intervention. Since some media immediately started lying. As always until now..."
There, Vučić interrupted him by saying: "Sorry, I can't listen to this excuse anymore" and then left, visibly angry. Of course, it was already known then that the gendarme was hit, most likely unintentionally, by his colleague.
SEGA-MEGA POLICEMEN
It is not difficult to guess why Vučić is angry and resentful of the police - his services, which are controlled by the party "cliques", inform him of the situation in the MUP among ordinary policemen, and even those with higher ranks. Among other things, these people watch how some with "now-mega" faculties advance faster than them just because the party employed them in the MUP and gave them positions.
After the SNS came to power, one of these professionals, who graduated from the Internal Affairs High School in Sremska Kamenica, and then the Police Academy, said to the author of this article: "We, comrade, were wrongly educated" and listed all the "now-mega" personnel solutions in the MUP. When the catchphrase "wrongly educated" spread throughout the MUP, many of them came forward to support that wording. Even today, they all hold the ranks of major and lieutenant colonel, and some even managed to reach the rank of colonel.
What the police will do on March 15 - they themselves don't know that. According to those who are professionals and cannot stand party staffing, it would be best if small protests were held in all cities at the same time, then they would block the local police and the top of the MUP would not be allowed to send them to Belgrade. And in smaller places, it's a story for itself - who is allowed to hit his relative, neighbor, children, everyone knows each other.
SHAME FROM COLLEAGUES
A police colonel, in a prominent position in the MUP, tells "Vreme": "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.
"When in 2009 Dacic's head of security, Zoran Tomašević (he later became a general), was appointed the head of the then Security Administration, no one doubted that he would improve our work, because he came from our service and came from SAJ," one of the veterans of that unit, who is awaiting retirement, told "Vreme". "That happened thanks to the fact that he was Dacic's companion, he provided us with excellent working conditions, both technical and otherwise. And his successor Glišović, also a 'Sajevac'... And then these others came and brought their people according to SNS eligibility. Sometimes we are ashamed to call them 'colleagues'."
This interlocutor adds that people from the service are sent to support the SNS "beaters" at various opposition gatherings.
WE LIVE WITH THESE PEOPLE
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, through Kragujevac and Niš, 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 90s, when the 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 won't want someone to 'spit' on them tomorrow because of their father". Rally in Kragujevac - without a single incident, because the police did their job.
GENERAL ESCAPE
Someone at the Criminal Police Academy could write a master's or doctoral thesis about the police organization of escorting students to the protest site. It is another proof that the policemen are people who understand the situation and that they will not, as in the nineties, randomly beat protesters on orders.
"My generation, when I started in the 9s, was taught that protests and demonstrations were taken by force," an interlocutor from the MUP told "Vreme". "After March 1991, 1996, we realized that another department - that of the State Security, was managing it. And we slowly 'called to our senses'. Remember the protests in 1997/XNUMX. The police had cooperative relations with students except in cases when the State Security ordered it. I tell the participants of the current protests in Serbia to behave like the protesters in Kraljevo, not in Novi Sad: throw eggs at the municipal buildings, transfer the policemen, don't stain and make their uniform stink, someone has to wash it, and they are there to do their job and they haven't attacked anyone. Times have changed, those policemen are not for this Hochstapler government, they know who is who, but they have to do their job."
When it comes to the protest of students in Niš, the source of "Vremen" from the Security Information Agency indicated that the speaker at the meeting on March 1 was student Natalija Dimitrijević, the daughter of the former head of the BIA in that city, Goran Dimitrijević, and that this is proof that they are also against this government.
"Ask yourself why all the honorable people from the BIA, a year before they turn 53, submit a request for a pension and return official schedules and documents. They have had enough of everything, new SNS personnel are coming", says the former security guard.
It's a similar thing in the police - all the top professionals leave at the age of 55 because they can't stand their bosses being "cadres" from the SNS hired during the time of Nebojsa Stefanović or Aleksandar Vulin. And all sorts of people were received, who were later prosecuted in court proceedings.
I CAN'T HEAR WELL
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 one police officer who has already received an orientation plan of engagement. "Their radio station will be empty."
It is ungrateful, due to the possible consequences, to mention the names of the units, but according to what has been published by the tabloids since the New Year, and this was confirmed by Vučić himself, the SAJ is mentioned as one of the causes of disobedience because their command did not want to get involved in some illegal activities around the protests. Because of this, the commander of SAJ Spasoje Vulević was put on the "pillar of shame" in the tabloids, Vučić himself indirectly called him names, but the unit, which has been in existence since 1978, survived and continues to survive. By the way, Vulević has been at its head for 20 years.
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 Banova 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, such as Pirot or Leban, and they say in advance that there will be no transport to Belgrade on Saturday.
