Belgrade authorities have rejected the “blatant lies” amplified by a Soros and USAID-backed NGO
Serbian authorities have known as for an investigation and prosecution of these answerable for spreading misinformation after opposition leaders and a foreign-funded NGO accused safety forces of utilizing sound cannons in opposition to protesters in Belgrade.
Greater than 80,000 folks took half in an anti-government protest on Saturday, described as one of many largest in Serbia’s current historical past.
A number of video clips from the rally confirmed protesters reacting to a sudden whooshing sound, triggering a quick stampede as the gang moved away from the middle of the highway. Nonetheless, the demonstrators quickly returned, visibly puzzled however seemingly unhurt.
The opposition Freedom and Justice Occasion (SSP) accused safety forces of deploying a Lengthy Vary Acoustic Machine (LRAD), a crowd-control sound cannon that emits high-frequency sounds exceeding 160 decibels and might trigger ache and disorientation.
Persons are theorizing that sonic weapons have been used in opposition to protestors in Serbia. Cannot actually inform what’s occurring – simply appears to be like like a large stampede to me.Have you ever seen this?🎯pic.twitter.com/LnKi1qhu7t
— Gooboberti (@Gooboberti) March 16, 2025
The Belgrade Centre for Safety Coverage (BCSP), a Soros-backed and USAID-funded non-governmental group, issued a press release on Sunday condemning “the illegal and inhumane deployment of prohibited weapons, resembling acoustic gadgets, in opposition to peaceable protesters.”
Serbian authorities have denied utilizing any type of sonic weaponry. The Ministry of Inner Affairs acknowledged there was no proof to help the claims, calling them “an try to destabilize the nation.” Authorities officers insisted that legislation enforcement acted inside authorized limits and maintained order with out extreme power.
Addressing the general public on Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed the opposition’s accusations, saying an actual sonic cannon “beeps so eerily, it causes such nausea and vomiting that you could’t recuperate from it for days.”
“Simply so you recognize what sort of lies we’re speaking about… I’m asking the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutor’s workplace to react – both to prosecute those that used it, and we all know they didn’t, however let’s examine,” Vucic stated on Sunday.
Let there be a continuing, however then they need to additionally prosecute those that went public with such a blatant lie.
Belgrade’s emergency hospital denied reviews that enormous numbers of individuals sought medical help after the incident, additionally urging authorized motion in opposition to those that “unfold unfaithful data.”
The protests adopted months of student-led demonstrations over alleged corruption and authorities mismanagement, sparked by a deadly accident on the Novi Unhappy railway station in November 2024.
Vucic has claimed the demonstrations are politically motivated and geared toward destabilizing Serbia. In a social media put up on Sunday, he praised the police and army for dealing with the unrest “with out elevating a baton” and thanked them for preserving peace and stability.
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