A television crew from the independent Serbian media outlet N1 was attacked on Thursday in front of the National Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, without police who were present at the scene reacting.
According to N1, a journalist and camera operator were physically attacked by an individual who forcefully seized and destroyed the camera. The entire incident unfolded in full view of police officers, who stood only meters away. Despite witnessing the attack directly, the officers failed to intervene. Asked by the journalist to react, the officers responded by saying that “another team will come”.
Despite the existence of clear video footage, multiple eyewitnesses, and forensic traces left at the scene, the perpetrator has not yet been arrested. “This lack of action raises serious concerns about selective policing, the erosion of rule of law, and the effective absence of state protection for journalists performing their professional duties,” writes Igor Božić, news director at N1.
“Attacks against journalists are unacceptable,” a spokesperson for the European Commission commented on Friday. “The Commission expressed its concerns about repeated attacks on journalists in Serbia. We expect Serbian authorities to conduct a swift and transparent investigation into this case.”
As reported in the 2025 Enlargement Package, Serbia is one of six candidate countries lagging behind in the accession process. It is backsliding in the process and is closest in the Western Balkans to being ruled by an authoritarian regime. Most of the acquis chapters have been opened but only two of them have been provisionally closed.
According to the Commission, polarisation in Serbian society has deepened against the background of mass protests since 2024. Restoring trust between political and civil society actors is key to progress in the accession process.
