Ordinary Serbs have taken to patrolling woodland near their communities to deter migrants after dozens were recently located equipped with firearms and ammunition in the rural territory along the country’s border with Hungary.
Disillusioned by the competency of the Serbian authorities, the people of Hajdukovo (Hajdújárás in Hungarian), a village near the Hungarian border, went on their own patrol into the nearby forest on Saturday evening.
Earlier, unknown persons had thrown hand grenades at a family home, suspected to be migrants or people smugglers. Two grenades exploded and caused damage. During the evening patrol, they almost immediately came across migrants in hiding, who then fled the scene. Locals say the authorities are not helping them.
“We have run out of patience. If the police don’t do something, we will take control, if necessary we will close the motorway or the railway to stop them,” said one angry resident at a village meeting, where attendees all agreed that they felt let down by the authorities. They believe the migrant crisis in their community has gone so far that they say drastic action is needed to resolve it.
“There is no opinion on this. It is up to the police to decide what they want. Either they put things in order or the population does something,” said local resident, Sándor Balog.
Shootings between migrants are a daily occurrence in Hajdújárás. However, on Friday evening, it is suspected that local residents may have been targeted by illegal immigrants or people smugglers. Hand grenades were detonated outside the gate of one of the houses. The shrapnel caused damage to the walls of the building, the fence, and plants, and it was only by luck that no tragedy occurred. The residents arrived home only a few minutes later.
“This is unimaginable. This is no longer Serbia, it’s Syria. There’s nothing else to say. We can’t walk freely, we can’t move, but they walk around with guns, throwing grenades. Not only here, but also elsewhere,” said Sándor Balog.
The locals also agreed that they would go into the forests and remove illegal immigrants if necessary. Finally, they decided to stop waiting and leave immediately.
People in the area collected everything they could find in the illegal immigrant camps. They also brought pillows, tents, cables, clothes, food, and knives, and agreed to organize similar actions in the future, to stand up for themselves and each other.