Serbian Minister of Education resigns after school shooting

8 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Minister of Education of Serbia, Branko Ruzic, has presented his resignation to the position this Sunday, after the shooting at a school in the country that last week claimed the lives of nine people, eight of them minors.

In a letter addressed to the country’s Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, Ruzic has assumed his responsibility as head of the Ministry of Education and has announced his decision to resign “as a responsible and educated man, (…) as a father and citizen of the Republic of Serbia”.

“Resignation is a personal but also a political act, in developed democratic societies it is a sign of strength and in our region, very often, it is a sign of weakness. Let the public judge”, the former minister asserted.

In the letter, he also explains that he made the decision after learning of the event, and that he had communicated it to the president at that time, but he has waited to make it public until after the period of national mourning declared in the country.

“Serbia needs wisdom, serenity, love and empathy, in no way inciting conflicts (…), regardless of which side they come from,” he added.

Serbia is still shocked by the two shootings that in the past week claimed the lives of a total of 17 people, nine of them in a school, killed by one of their classmates.

The consequences of these acts have already been seen in politics, especially with the suspension of the issuance of new weapons licenses throughout the country for two years, in addition to the implementation of regular reviews of legal and registered weapons.

In addition, the Serbian Ministry of the Interior has reported that anyone can turn in illegally obtained weapons without consequence, if they do so from Monday until June 8, an amnesty that includes pistols, ammunition, grenades or other types of weapons.