The key facts

  • Attackers smashed windows, tore off part of the entrance door and wrecked the Informer TV newsroom
  • Editor-in-chief Dragan Vucicevic called the police; staff were evacuated by the gendarmerie
  • The channel linked the attack to the 'Student List' movement, which won the elections on 25 October

Attack on the newsroom

In Serbia, an aggressive crowd attacked the newsroom of the local TV channel Informer TV, as reported by the outlet itself. According to the channel, a group spent an hour 'rampaging' outside the building: participants smashed windows and tore off part of the entrance door leading to the newsroom. They then burst inside, wrecked the premises and attacked editor-in-chief Dragan Vucicevic.

Evacuation of staff

Vucicevic called the police. The channel's staff had to hide in toilets and in the building's basement. Gendarmerie units arrived at the scene and evacuated all Informer TV employees from the building.

Link to the elections

The channel linked the attack to the opposition civic movement 'Student List'. The incident occurred against the backdrop of political changes in the country: on 25 October, elections to the National Assembly (parliament) of Serbia were held, in which 18 political forces took part. The main rivals were the 'United Serbia' coalition of former president Aleksandar Vucic and the 'Student List'. The 'Student List' won the most votes, receiving, according to available data, between 135 and 140 of the 250 seats. Thus, the attack on the newsroom took place two days after the vote that brought the opposition movement victory — however, responsibility for the attack has so far been confirmed only by the TV channel itself, and no independent confirmation of its version is available in published reports.