Matić on threats to Brankica Stanković: Prosecuting fans will not solve the problem - it is about an organized crime group.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade has submitted a request to the police for the collection of necessary information regarding the events of November 6, 2026, at the Belgrade Arena during a basketball match between Partizan and Maccabi, when individuals from the stands directed threats at journalist and editor Brankica Stanković through chanting.

Veran Matić stated that he has reported three previous incidents where threats were made against Brankica Stanković, but that institutional responses have been lacking.

"The Ministry of Interior has so far failed to identify the fans, even though the Arena is under a large number of cameras, both those of the Arena and those of the Ministry of Interior that record such matches. I believe that nothing significant will happen now either since we are dealing with an organized crime group," said Matić.

He characterized the actions of the prosecutorial offices in previous cases of attacks on journalists as "controversial."

"The prosecutor's office is one part, the Ministry of Interior is another. The Ministry should uncover this. I would remind you that they have sung three times already, and the police have done nothing. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office has, when it comes to journalists, shown itself to be controversial multiple times. We had the case of Vuk Cvijić, where a report for an attack on the street was dismissed, as well as some other situations in which the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office behaved controversially," said Matić.

"The problem is not solved by prosecuting only certain fans"
Matić believes that the issue of violence and threats in the stands involves a broader system of relationships between fan groups, clubs, and politics.

"The organized crime group consists of hooligans, club management, where, among others, there are representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the Security Information Agency (BIA), criminalized administrations, and political factions that cover up the violent nature of all this. Therefore, I think that prosecuting fans will not solve the problem. They will continue to chant. Effective punishment must be horizontal," said Matić.

He explained why it is important to sanction clubs as well.

"I once told Duško Vujošević - the stands must be emptied, clubs must be punished. Since we know that financial penalties for clubs make no sense because the state finances the clubs, I believe they must be privatized quickly, then these financial penalties will make sense," he emphasized.

Why is Brankica Stanković an "ideal target"?

When asked why such threats are re-emerging at a time when it seems institutions are starting to work more intensively, Matić recalls the long-term investigative work of Insajder.

"Insajder started airing a program in 2004 on B92 with a theme that is still relevant today. 'Manuscripts Do Not Burn' was a program about the destruction of State Security documents. Today we have a nearly mirrored situation. We still have all those actors in the political, social, and criminal milieu, and Brankica Stanković is therefore an ideal target," said Matić.

He also recalled a statement by former president Aleksandar Vučić regarding Insajder and Telekom, assessing that it could have been an additional trigger for the attacks.

"We had a situation where former president Aleksandar Vučić, during an appearance on Informer, mentioned Insajder as someone who was privileged in the contract with Telekom, which is a possible trigger in this situation because he said something that is not true," said Matić.

"Sanction the propaganda activities of the media"

Speaking about the work of REM, national frequencies, and changes in the media following political changes, Matić stated that it is necessary to reassess the previous work of television stations which, in his opinion, have spread hate speech and conducted propaganda campaigns.

"I think it is important to sanction what we have had so far as propaganda activity. No country has a 'poison factory' like Informer television. That hate speech and demonization must not be allowed, as regulated by the Constitution. Other tabloids must also be punished for everything they have done so far, and national frequencies must undergo control by REM," said Matić.

He added that consideration should also be given to revoking licenses for national broadcasting.

"In the first wave, licenses for national broadcasting should be revoked. They have been under supervision, and REM certainly has many arguments for that," said Matić.

"Public services must undergo deep transformation"

Matić believes that RTS and RTV must undergo fundamental reform, but that it is possible to change existing institutions instead of shutting them down.

He believes that the new government should reach a consensus on what role the public service should have.

"It is very important that those who won in these elections reach a consensus on what the public service should do. I believe that, in addition to objective information, it must be rejuvenated because new generations bring new communication possibilities," he emphasized.

According to him, the way in which the media were previously abused should also become a topic for future public services.

"Everything that Vučić did with the media, abusing them, must be a topic for those future public services, so that citizens become aware of what has been done. And those who did not have the opportunity to see it, and blindly believed, should now see what has actually been done," he said.

Source: N1