**Journalists Face Intimidation While Covering Regime Supporters’ March**
A disturbing incident has unfolded in Serbia, where a crew from N1 news was warned not to continue covering a group of regime supporters marching towards Belgrade. The marchers, who were on their way to a gathering organized by President Aleksandar Vucic, were given a police escort.
**Police Escort Told Journalists to Back Off**
According to reports, the police escort told the N1 crew that there weren’t enough officers to provide security for them. This meant that the journalists couldn’t continue their live report in front of the column of marchers. However, prior to this warning, members of the marching group had already begun shouting abuse at the N1 reporter and cameraman.
**Abuse and Intimidation from Regime Supporters**
The regime supporters called the journalists “traitors” and compared them to Ustashe (WW2 Croatian fascists who persecuted Serbs). This kind of language is deeply hurtful and intended to intimidate. In fact, a round orange object was thrown at the reporter during the live report.
**Police Officers’ Mixed Messages**
Interestingly, while one female police officer told the N1 crew that they could go ahead of the column for their live report, another officer immediately ordered them to stop broadcasting and leave the road. This mixed message only added to the confusion and chaos of the situation.
This incident highlights a worrying trend in Serbia where journalists are facing intimidation and harassment while doing their jobs. It’s essential that media outlets and authorities work together to ensure that journalists can cover events freely, without fear of reprisal or harm.
