The Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA) strongly condemns the Prime Minister's rhetoric in the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. After insulting words addressed to one or more MPs of the opposition, for which she did not find it appropriate to issue a public apology to the Serbian public, the Prime Minister of Serbia this time chose the biggest Serbian university as a target. This act only continued the hunt for dissident professors who do not hesitate to publicly criticize the executive. On the other hand, when it comes to like-minded professors, with her statement "Don't touch political analysts, because their job is to say what they think and analyze the work of politicians," the Prime Minister actually suggests that professors are allowed to publicly express their opinions only when they are expressed in support of the same authorities. Therefore, as members of the academic community, we publicly ask the Prime Minister whether she believes that the professors of the University of Belgrade are allowed to say what they think only in the role of a political analyst and only when it is in the interest of that government? In her opinion, should the University publicly condemn all those who think differently and criticize the authorities?
This duality of standards was further confirmed in the Prime Minister's position that it does not carry the same weight when something is publicly stated by a member of the ruling party or a university professor. In other words, a university professor who is not a member of the ruling party or does not support it should think twice about what he will say publicly, while members of the party can be tolerated even without a thought process before saying something publicly, sometimes in anger. I guess that's why the Prime Minister has not yet seen a reason to condemn the representatives of the ruling majority in the Assembly for all the simplicities and insults that we have heard in previous years.
MASA reminds the Prime Minister of Serbia that the right to freedom of expression is guaranteed in our Constitution, as is the guaranteed equality of all citizens in the enjoyment of those rights. Therefore, the same standards apply to everyone, whether they are politicians of the ruling party or any other party, whether they are university professors or political analysts.
Despite the obvious intimidation of the public, institutions and individuals by the government, MASA condemns any call to violence, from any side that it comes from, but we also believe that the responsibility for the political atmosphere in a society is mostly borne by those who lead that society and that before calling other social actors to account, he must take personal and political responsibility. Any type of sanctioning of public speech, especially that based on pressure or double standards, represents a gross demolition of democratic principles on which a modern civil, not autocratic, society should rest.
