Pro-government says students turn Vučić’s extortion claims into a test for Serbia’s institutions

Pro-government says students turn Vučić’s extortion claims into a test for Serbia’s institutions
On Nov. 1, during an appearance on the television program Hit Tvit, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić alleged that criminal groups were extorting business owners in Aranđelovac and trying to take control of their companies. He said the groups had entered one company and demanded that its owners transfer 50% of the ownership.

Vučić later described the situation more broadly, saying that “terror reigns in Serbia” and that criminals were threatening successful people, mainly business owners with money. In an Instagram video, he claimed that such groups were entering companies in Niš, Aranđelovac, Belgrade, Novi Sad and Subotica, as well as restaurants in the capital, allegedly operating “under the cover and protection of the student list.”

Students in blockade in Aranđelovac responded by calling on police and prosecutors to investigate the allegations. They said the claims were neither harmless nor insignificant and, if true, would amount to serious criminal offenses and a direct threat to residents and business owners.

The students stressed that they were not declaring anyone guilty or prejudging any proceedings. Instead, they said the competent institutions should establish the facts and determine whether Vučić’s public statements reflected specific knowledge and evidence. Their position shifts the dispute from political accusation to an institutional test: whether authorities will investigate the claims and substantiate them through a formal process.