Protesters stormed the pro-Aleksandar Vucic television station Informer TV in Serbia, disrupting its broadcast and demanding the arrest of its editor as tens of thousands continued celebrating the former president’s defeat at the polls.
Live footage showed about 30 people entering the station’s newsroom on Monday evening and surrounding its editor-in-chief and owner, Dragan Vucicevic. Some shouted, “This is how it is in free Serbia!” and “Where is Vucic now?” while others called for Mr Vucicevic to be arrested.
Mr Vucic condemned the incident in a post on his personal Instagram account, describing it as an attack on free speech and journalistic freedom. He appeared in a jumper displaying the crossed-out word “sorry”.
The confrontation came during a second night of celebrations following Sunday’s election, in which Serbia’s Student List defeated Mr Vucic’s alliance and ended his party’s 14-year grip on power.
Fireworks were reported across the country shortly after Mr Vucic announced that he had conceded defeat. The Student List emerged from a student-led anti-corruption protest movement and has yet to appoint a clear leader or name a prime minister.
Ilija Srdanovic, a cardiologist and the leading candidate on the election list, urged supporters to remain calm while the electoral process continued.
“We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process, just like you have been until now,” he said in a video posted on Instagram. “Don’t resort to any form of violence. Your Student List and your student movement urge you on this.”
Pressure on pro-Vucic broadcasters
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said it would apply for Informer TV’s broadcasting licence to be revoked, alleging systematic breaches of the law and the station’s programme obligations.
Mr Vucicevic responded: “On the very first day of [Student List] power, they want to ban the media. They have said everything about themselves, and nothing about us.”
A separate group also gathered outside Pink TV, another private broadcaster supportive of Mr Vucic, in Belgrade on Monday evening. Police cordoned off the station.
Earlier, public broadcaster RTV in the Vojvodina region began its evening bulletin with an apology to viewers for failing to fulfil its role, citing uncritical and one-sided reporting.
Serbia was ranked 104th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, its lowest position on record and the worst in the European Union-Balkan region. Election monitor Crta said television stations with national reach had given government representatives three-quarters of the time allocated to politicians, while the Student List was portrayed negatively in more than 80 per cent of its coverage.
