Belgrade mayor addresses rioting in suburb

Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas spoke on Monday to appeal for calm in the wake of rioting in the Belgrade suburb of Resnik on Sunday afternoon. The locals there protested against the city's plans to move Roma (Gypsy) families to their neighborhoods, and attacked police with stones and bottles, injuring a dozen officers. Belgrade mayor addresses rioting in suburb The Roma themselves were not present at the site yesterday as workers were bringing in housing containers meant to provide them with homes, once they have been moved out of a makeshift settlement in New Belgrade. Mayor Djilas said the protests in Resnik were unnecessary: "There's no need for that - 20 families, 40 adults, several dozen children, they cannot endanger anyone and there's no need to protest." He also announced that the "informal" Roma settlement near the Belville apartment block in New Belgrade would be dismantled in the second half of April. Referring to the Roma, Djilas said that the city "will not negotiate with people who occupy land where large infrastructural projects are to be built", but also criticized the locals in Resnik by saying there will be no talks "with those who think that 20 Roma families settling a kilometer from their houses is reason enough to demonstrate and attack police". "Many citizens who protested yesterday were not properly informed about the settling of Roma (in Resnik). We are aware that they are afraid that people out of jobs, who stole water, electricity and some other things will now move there. But none of the settlements that the city built for Roma has experienced cases like that, we have no problems anywhere," the mayor stated. Djilas added that "anyone who breaks the law in those settlements gets thrown out, so there is no reason for anyone in Resnik to fear that relations will be disturbed by the arrival of 20 Roma families": "I am certain that children who will move there will go to school, while we'll find jobs for their parents. We will provide basic living conditions for them." The mayor also revealed that out of the 500 to 600 Roma children currently living in the shantytown near Belville, only seven attend school. Police are seen in Resnik this morning (Tanjug) B92 Tanjug

Belgrade mayor addresses rioting in suburb

The Roma themselves were not present at the site yesterday as workers were bringing in housing containers meant to provide them with homes, once they have been moved out of a makeshift settlement in New Belgrade.

Mayor Đilas said the protests in Resnik were unnecessary:

"There's no need for that - 20 families, 40 adults, several dozen children, they cannot endanger anyone and there's no need to protest."

He also announced that the "informal" Roma settlement near the Belville apartment block in New Belgrade would be dismantled in the second half of April.

Referring to the Roma, Đilas said that the city "will not negotiate with people who occupy land where large infrastructural projects are to be built", but also criticized the locals in Resnik by saying there will be no talks "with those who think that 20 Roma families settling a kilometer from their houses is reason enough to demonstrate and attack police".

"Many citizens who protested yesterday were not properly informed about the settling of Roma (in Resnik). We are aware that they are afraid that people out of jobs, who stole water, electricity and some other things will now move there. But none of the settlements that the city built for Roma has experienced cases like that, we have no problems anywhere," the mayor stated.

Đilas added that "anyone who breaks the law in those settlements gets thrown out, so there is no reason for anyone in Resnik to fear that relations will be disturbed by the arrival of 20 Roma families":

"I am certain that children who will move there will go to school, while we'll find jobs for their parents. We will provide basic living conditions for them."

The mayor also revealed that out of the 500 to 600 Roma children currently living in the shantytown near Belville, only seven attend school.