Serbia’s education minister, Branko Ruzic, resigned four days after the deadly shooting at a school in Belgrade. “As a responsible and well-behaved person, I present my irrevocable resignation as Minister of Education,” wrote Ruzic in a letter to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic published yesterday on Twitter.
The 47-year-old socialist initially blamed the internet, video games and “Western values” for a 13-year-old boy’s act on Wednesday. The opposition, human rights groups and thousands of protesters demanded his resignation.
The student shot dead eight children and a security guard at his school in Belgrade with his father’s gun. Less than 48 hours later, a 21-year-old man shot dead eight people in several villages near Belgrade. Head of State Aleksandar Vucic then announced an “almost complete disarmament” of private individuals. According to government information, more than 760,000 firearms are registered in the country of 6.8 million inhabitants.