{"id":6916,"date":"2023-05-14T13:05:08","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T12:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=6916"},"modified":"2023-05-14T13:14:07","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T12:14:07","slug":"serbia-people-surrender-13500-weapons-including-rocket-launchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/analysis\/defense\/serbia-people-surrender-13500-weapons-including-rocket-launchers\/2023\/05\/14\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Serbia: People surrender 13,500 weapons including rocket launchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

BELGRADE,<\/span> Serbia<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Serbian<\/span> authorities<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday<\/span> displayed<\/span> many<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> approximately<\/span> 13,500<\/span> weapons,<\/span> including<\/span> hand<\/span> grenades,<\/span> automatic<\/span> rifles<\/span> and<\/span> anti-tank<\/span> rocket<\/span> launchers,<\/span> that<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> handed<\/span> over<\/span> to<\/span> people<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> mass<\/span> shootings<\/span> this<\/span> month.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Authorities<\/span> have<\/span> given<\/span> citizens<\/span> a<\/span> one-month<\/span> pardon<\/span> for<\/span> surrendering<\/span> unregistered<\/span> firearms<\/span> or<\/span> if<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> sentenced<\/span> to<\/span> prison.<\/span> It<\/span> is<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> gun<\/span> crackdown<\/span> following<\/span> two<\/span> mass<\/span> shootings<\/span> that<\/span> left<\/span> 17<\/span> people<\/span> dead,<\/span> including<\/span> many<\/span> children.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Populist<\/span> President<\/span> Aleksandar<\/span> Vucic<\/span> accompanied<\/span> police<\/span> officers<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> gun<\/span> demonstration<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> town<\/span> of<\/span> Smederevo,<\/span> about<\/span> 30<\/span> miles<\/span> south<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> capital<\/span> Belgrade,<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Vucic<\/span> said<\/span> about<\/span> half<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> guns<\/span> collected<\/span> were<\/span> illegal<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> other<\/span> half<\/span> were<\/span> registered<\/span> guns<\/span> submitted<\/span> by<\/span> citizens<\/span> anyway.<\/span> He<\/span> added<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> weapons<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> sent<\/span> to<\/span> Serbian<\/span> weapons<\/span> and<\/span> munitions<\/span> factories,<\/span> where<\/span> they<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> used<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> military.<\/span> “After<\/span> June<\/span> 8,<\/span> states<\/span> will<\/span> respond<\/span> with<\/span> repressive<\/span> measures<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> penalties<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> very<\/span> severe,”<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> post-pardon<\/span> period.<\/span> “What<\/span> do<\/span> people<\/span> need<\/span> automatic<\/span> rifles<\/span> for?<\/span> Or<\/span> all<\/span> those<\/span> guns?”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Serbia<\/span> is<\/span> estimated<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> highest<\/span> per<\/span> capita<\/span> weapon<\/span> stockpiles<\/span> in<\/span> Europe.<\/span> Many<\/span> of<\/span> them<\/span> are<\/span> war<\/span> remnants<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> 1990s<\/span> and<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> held<\/span> illegally.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Other<\/span> gun<\/span> control<\/span> measures<\/span> include<\/span> tighter<\/span> controls<\/span> on<\/span> gun<\/span> owners<\/span> and<\/span> shooting<\/span> ranges.<\/span> Authorities<\/span> opened<\/span> fire<\/span> on<\/span> May<\/span> 3<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> 13-year-old<\/span> boy<\/span> snatched<\/span> his<\/span> father’s<\/span> gun<\/span> and<\/span> opened<\/span> fire<\/span> on<\/span> his<\/span> classmates<\/span> at<\/span> an<\/span> elementary<\/span> school<\/span> in<\/span> central<\/span> Belgrade.<\/span> The<\/span> next<\/span> day,<\/span> a<\/span> 20-year-old<\/span> man<\/span> opened<\/span> fire<\/span> indiscriminately<\/span> with<\/span> an<\/span> automatic<\/span> rifle<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> southern<\/span> Belgrade<\/span> countryside.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>17<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> killed<\/span> and<\/span> 21<\/span> injured<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> shootings.<\/span> This<\/span> has<\/span> thrown<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> into<\/span> turmoil<\/span> and<\/span> raised<\/span> calls<\/span> for<\/span> change<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> country<\/span> that<\/span> has<\/span> seen<\/span> decades<\/span> of<\/span> turmoil<\/span> and<\/span> crisis.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> have<\/span> gathered<\/span> in<\/span> two<\/span> protest<\/span> marches<\/span> in<\/span> Belgrade<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> shooting,<\/span> demanding<\/span> the<\/span> resignation<\/span> of<\/span> government<\/span> ministers<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> banning<\/span> of<\/span> TV<\/span> channels<\/span> that<\/span> advertise<\/span> violent<\/span> content<\/span> and<\/span> harbor<\/span> war<\/span> criminals<\/span> and<\/span> criminals.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Sunday,<\/span> Vucic<\/span> rejected<\/span> opposition<\/span> demands<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> resignation<\/span> of<\/span> Interior<\/span> Minister<\/span> Bratislava<\/span> Gasic,<\/span> who<\/span> was<\/span> also<\/span> participating<\/span> in<\/span> Sunday’s<\/span> gun<\/span> demonstrations.<\/span> But<\/span> the<\/span> president<\/span> suggested<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> could<\/span> resign<\/span> and<\/span> announce<\/span> a<\/span> snap<\/span> election<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> rally<\/span> scheduled<\/span> for<\/span> May<\/span> 26<\/span> in<\/span> Belgrade.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“I<\/span> am<\/span> not<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> replace<\/span> Gasic<\/span> [interior<\/span> minister]<\/span> who<\/span> is<\/span> doing<\/span> a<\/span> great<\/span> job,”<\/span> Vucic<\/span> said.<\/span> “What<\/span> did<\/span> the<\/span> police<\/span> do?”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Opposition<\/span> politicians<\/span> have<\/span> accused<\/span> Mr<\/span> Vucic’s<\/span> populist<\/span> authorities<\/span> of<\/span> inciting<\/span> violence<\/span> and<\/span> hate<\/span> speech<\/span> against<\/span> their<\/span> critics,<\/span> spreading<\/span> propaganda<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> mainstream<\/span> media<\/span> and<\/span> imposing<\/span> dictatorial<\/span> rule<\/span> on<\/span> all<\/span> institutions,<\/span> which<\/span> has<\/span> divided<\/span> society.<\/span> claim<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> helping.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Friday,<\/span> protesters<\/span> in<\/span> Belgrade<\/span> blocked<\/span> the<\/span> capital’s<\/span> main<\/span> bridges<\/span> and<\/span> highways<\/span> to<\/span> push<\/span> through<\/span> their<\/span> demands.<\/span> Protests<\/span> have<\/span> also<\/span> broken<\/span> out<\/span> in<\/span> other<\/span> Serbian<\/span> cities,<\/span> expressing<\/span> sadness<\/span> and<\/span> anger<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> shootings<\/span> and<\/span> populist<\/span> authorities.<\/span> While<\/span> Mr<\/span> Vucic<\/span> claimed<\/span> the<\/span> bridge<\/span> blockade<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> nuisance,<\/span> he,<\/span> other<\/span> officials<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> media<\/span> under<\/span> his<\/span> control<\/span> sought<\/span> to<\/span> underestimate<\/span> the<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> protesters.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) – Serbian authorities on Sunday displayed many of the approximately 13,500 weapons, including hand grenades, automatic rifles and anti-tank rocket launchers, that have been handed over to people since the mass shootings this month.\u00a0 Authorities have given citizens a one-month pardon for surrendering unregistered firearms or if they are sentenced to prison. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,276,280],"tags":[4908,4909,4910,602,3389,4569],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/serbia.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6917,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6916\/revisions\/6917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}