Serbia: CFWIJ Condemns The Verbal Assault Against Vanja Djuric
Location: Serbia
Date: September 19, 2021
Vanja Djuric, a correspondent for the N1 TV network was verbally assaulted by a mob in central Belgrade on Saturday. The angry crowd was demonstrating a protest against the Belgrade Pride Parade. Vanja Djuric found herself surrounded by the members of the People's Patrol at the square below the Serbian government headquarters. The men assaulted her verbally and the cameraman, impeding them from continuing reporting. The angry protesters shouted at her to derail her coverage. The CFWIJ commends Vanja for standing up in face of harassment and not giving up her assignment.
According to reports, plain-clothed police officers set a Corden around Vanja and so she was able to report while the crowd kept on hurling insults at her. Her fellow reporter was covering the demonstration behind the corden and was hit by eggs thrown by demonstrators.
Reportedly the demonstration by Anti-Vaxers and Anti-Globalists was purposely staged to coincide with Belgrade Pride Parade but the deployment of heavy police kept them from reaching Pride participants.
The CFWIJ has documented numerous cases of verbal harassment against journalists while they were reporting from ground situations. These attacks have often turned physical and caused much more damage than insults. It is an unfortunate pattern to target a reporter when you don't agree with the narrative of their network. Women journalists and media workers need to be more secured and better equipped from the newsrooms so they can report fearlessly from such chaotic scenes.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the harassment against Vanja Djuric and stands in solidarity. We urge newsrooms to better equip the reporting staff so they stay safe while reporting volatile situations. The CFWIJ appreciates Vanja for her fearless reporting and commitment to her job
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.