Serbia’s education minister submitted his resignation Sunday following two mass shootings, one of them at a primary school, which left 17 people dead, while the European country’s government urged citizens to turn in all unregistered weapons or run the risk of a prison sentence.
Despite numerous calls for high-ranking officials to resign following the recent shootings, Education Minister Branko Ruzic has been the first Serbian official to step down. He explained that his decision was motivated by the catastrophic tragedy that has affected his country. Following the attack at the school in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital on Wednesday, Ruzic expressed his concern about the negative impact of the internet, video games, and Western values. This type of criticism is frequently heard in the Balkan nation, where there is a growing pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiment.
The Interior Ministry has kindly requested that individuals who possess illegally owned weapons hand them over between Monday and June 8. It has been advised that those who ignore this request may face prosecution and potentially years behind bars if convicted. According to the police, the amnesty would be applicable to firearms, explosives, bullets, and other related items.
In his third address to the nation since the killings, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, “We expect to get millions of bullets that way.”
The populist leader criticized the opposition for planning protests against his government for the way it handled the crisis, saying “It’s done nowhere in the world. It’s bad for the country.”
