Hard rain falls on Serbian PM
An angry crowd hurling stones and plastic bottles has forced Serbia’s prime minister to flee a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre of some 8000 Muslims in Bosnia, Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II.
Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic had just laid a flower at a monument for the Bosnian Muslim men killed and buried there when the crowd started chanting ‘‘Allahu Akbar’’ (God is great) and throwing stones.
Vucic ran for cover, shielded with umbrellas by his bodyguards who were hit by the hail of stones as some in the crowd shouted insults at the Serbian leader.
Vucic, whose country backed Bosnian Serbs during and after the 1990s interethnic war in Bosnia, was among numerous dignitaries, including former United States president Bill Clinton, and tens of thousands of people attending the commemoration in the eastern Bosnian town.
The prayers of an imam finally calmed the irate people in the crowd of mourners as their atten- tion turned to the burial of newly identified massacre victims.
Bosnia’s presidency strongly condemned the stone-throwing incident, saying Vucic had come to the town in the ‘‘spirit of reconciliation and intending to pay respect to the victims’’.
Srebrenica mayor Camil Durakovic added that the attack was ‘‘the work of sick minds who abused this solemn event.’’
Serbia for its part described the incident as an ‘‘assassination attempt’’.
‘‘It is an attack not only against Vucic but against all of Serbia and its policy of peace and regional cooperation,’’ Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said.
Vucic later returned to Belgrade where he told reporters that although a stone hit him in the mouth he was not hurt, but his glasses were broken in the attack.
‘‘I regret that some did not recognise our sincere intention to build a sincere friendship between Serbs and Bosniaks [Muslims],’’ he said, adding: ‘‘My hand remains outstretched [to Bosnian Muslims]’’.