The people of Serbia v the Trump family
Serbia’s authoritarian president personally intervened to remove the protection of a historic landmark – then came protests and prosecutions. Tom Burgis on the murky tale of Trump Tower Belgrade
In the heart of Belgrade, near the banks of the Danube, stands the General Staff building. Built in the 1960s, it embodies the difficult history of Serbia . It was designed to resemble a canyon of the Sutjeska River, where one of the most significant battles of the second world war was fought.
Then suddenly, in November 2024, it was announced that the building was no longer protected from development. Instead, a tower with Donald Trump’s name on it would go up in its place.
Protests and prosecutions followed, as opposition to the plan mounted. Investigations correspondent Tom Burgis tells Helen Pidd : “This isn’t just about the fate of a building, important though that kind of monument to Serbia’s history is. It’s about what is happening to the world when the US president is open for business.”
The Trump family insist no political favours were sought or received in Serbia and that all they ever wanted to do was transform the site into “a symbol of healing and reconciliation”. But what does the murky tale of the Trump tower that was never built tell us?
Source: The Guardian. Summary reproduced for informational purposes.
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