Protesters entered a Serbian television station supportive of former President Aleksandar Vucic late on Monday, interrupting its broadcasting to call for the arrest of its editor, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a second night of post-election celebrations.
The confrontation took place inside the newsroom of Informer TV in Belgrade, a station closely associated with Vucic’s long rule. It came one day after a historic election result that ended 14 years in power for the former president, and it immediately raised fresh questions about the future of Serbia’s media landscape and about how the country’s political transition will be handled.
Live footage broadcast by Informer TV itself showed around 30 people walking into its newsroom on Monday evening and surrounding the station’s editor-in-chief and owner, Dragan Vucicevic. Some of the protesters shouted slogans celebrating a freer Serbia, while others demanded Vucicevic’s arrest.
Key Takeaways
- Protesters entered Informer TV’s Belgrade newsroom late on Monday and interrupted a broadcast to demand editor Dragan Vucicevic’s arrest.
- The incident followed Sunday’s historic election, in which Serbia’s Student List unseated former President Aleksandar Vucic after 14 years in power.
- Serbia’s journalists’ association said it would apply on Tuesday to have Informer TV’s broadcasting licence revoked.
What Happened Inside the Newsroom
According to live footage from the station, about 30 people entered the Informer TV newsroom on Monday evening and gathered around Vucicevic. The protesters interrupted the station’s broadcasting as they confronted the editor-in-chief, who also owns the channel.
Some of those who entered shouted: “This is how it is in free Serbia.” Others asked aloud where Vucic was now, and some called directly for Vucicevic to be arrested. The scenes were broadcast live, meaning viewers watched the confrontation unfold in real time rather than learning about it afterwards through reports.
The confrontation unfolded live on air, in the newsroom of a station long aligned with the man the protesters had just voted out.
The confrontation unfolded live on air, in the newsroom of a station long aligned with the man the protesters had just voted out.
A Second Night of Celebrations
The newsroom incident took place against a much larger backdrop: tens of thousands of people were on the streets for a second night of post-election celebrations. The crowds were marking a result that few had predicted would come so decisively.
Serbia’s Student List, born out of a student-led anti-corruption protest movement, unseated Vucic in Sunday’s historic election, bringing to an end 14 years in power for a man who served as information minister under Slobodan Milosevic and who maintained tight control over the media during his time in office.
That history matters to understanding why a television newsroom became a flashpoint. For the protesters, Informer TV was not just another channel: it was a symbol of the media order built up during Vucic’s years in power. For Vucic’s supporters, the station was a legitimate broadcaster whose staff deserved protection regardless of the election result.
Protest movements have also drawn large crowds elsewhere in Europe in recent days, including mass protests in France, underlining how street politics and public anger have shaped the continent’s news agenda this autumn.
Vucic Calls the Incident an Attack on Free Speech
Vucic responded to the newsroom incident on his personal Instagram account. Dressed in a jumper displaying the crossed-out word “sorry”, he described the event as an attack on free speech and on the freedom of journalism.
His response framed the confrontation not as a celebration but as a warning sign: a newly victorious movement, in his telling, was already turning on the press. That framing is likely to be contested fiercely in the days ahead, as both sides argue over where legitimate protest ends and intimidation of journalists begins.
The distinction matters because Serbia’s next government will inherit not only ministries and budgets but also the unresolved question of media independence. How the new authorities handle the Informer TV incident may become an early test of their commitment to the democratic standards their movement campaigned on.
Call for Calm From the Student Movement
The student movement itself moved quickly to distance itself from any escalation. The movement has no clear leader, and Serbians are still waiting to see whom it will appoint as prime minister and to other key positions. Its leading candidate on the election list, cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, called for calm in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process, just like you have been until now,” Srdanovic said. “Don’t resort to any form of violence. Your Student List and your student movement urge you on this.”
The message was a deliberate attempt to keep the celebrations peaceful and to prevent the newsroom confrontation from becoming a pattern. It also reflected the movement’s awareness that its credibility depends on how its supporters behave now that it has won.
- Around 30 protesters entered Informer TV’s newsroom on Monday evening, according to live footage broadcast by the station itself.
- Editor-in-chief and owner Dragan Vucicevic was surrounded by the protesters, who shouted slogans and called for his arrest.
- Former President Aleksandar Vucic called the incident an attack on free speech and freedom of journalism.
- Student List figure Ilija Srdanovic urged supporters to stay calm and dignified and not to resort to violence.
- The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said it would seek revocation of Informer TV’s broadcasting licence on Tuesday.
Journalists’ Association Seeks Licence Revocation
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said in a statement that it would submit an application on Tuesday to have Informer TV’s broadcasting licence revoked, citing systematic violations of law and programme obligations.
That application, if pursued, would move the dispute from the streets into a formal regulatory process. It would also force Serbia’s broadcasting authorities to weigh the station’s record against the standards it is required to meet, at a moment of intense political scrutiny.
Whether the licence application succeeds, and how quickly it is considered, remains to be seen. What is already clear is that the future of one of Serbia’s most politically prominent broadcasters has become part of the post-election story itself.
What to Watch Next
Several questions will shape the next stage of this story. The journalists’ association has said it will submit its licence-revocation application on Tuesday, so the formal response to that move will be an early indicator of how the dispute develops.
Serbians are also waiting to see whom the student movement will appoint as prime minister and to other key positions, and whether the movement’s call for calm holds through the remainder of the electoral process. The movement’s supporters have been urged to stay dignified until the end of that process, and the coming days will show whether that appeal is heeded.
Finally, the wider debate over media freedom in Serbia is unlikely to end with one newsroom confrontation. Both the protesters’ demands and Vucic’s defence of the station point to a deeper argument about the role of the press in the country’s new political era, and that argument will continue as the new government takes shape.
By NightLust News, October 27, 2026.