Interior Ministry: Police vehicles blocked outside RTS building, one police officer injured

BELGRADE - Serbia's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday a group of protesters who had been blocking the building of national public broadcaster RTS in central Belgrade for days had surrounded and blocked police vehicles outside the building this morning in an attempt to stop police officers from driving the vehicles out of the area.

In a statement, the ministry said the incident occurred while the police were leading RTS employees into the Takovska Street building at around 5 am.

In spite of several warnings and orders by the police to make way for the police vehicles, the protesters refused to do so, the ministry noted, adding that at no point had the police used force, but that police officers had engaged in a conversation with the crowd to reach an agreement for the protesters to step aside to allow the police vehicles to leave the area.

After the protesters failed to make way for the vehicles in spite of this, without using coercion and with a prior warning and an order issued, the police used so-called suppression to move the protesters aside to clear the path for the vehicles, the ministry said.

"The participants of the gathering offered intense resistance by hurling insults at police officers, during which time one police officer sustained an ankle injury and was transported to a health care institution by an ambulance," it said.

After repeated warnings, the protesters moved aside and the police vehicles left the area, it added.

The ministry also said it was working on establishing the potential responsibility of the protesters in the blockade of police officers.

"We again call on all citizens to refrain from any behaviour threatening other citizens and obstructing the work of competent authorities and institutions, and to respect the law," the statement also said.