STA, 20 April 2022 - Maribor Mayor Saša Arsenovič has regretted the incident in which he got physical with a 13-year-old boy on Easter Sunday after what he says was an act of vandalism, while deciding not to resign as mayor. He has apologised to everyone involved and to the public, noting that he had only grabbed the boy by the arms.
It was reported on Tuesday by the newspaper Večer that Arsenovič had been accused by a father of the 13-year-old of physically assaulting his son and causing him light injuries.
The father told Večer that on Easter Sunday Arsenovič attacked his son after he and a group of other children took some used tennis balls from a garbage can near a tennis court operated by the local tennis club.
In today's statement, Arsenovič said he regretted the incident and apologised first to the teenagers, and then to the parents, expressing the understanding that they wanted to protect their child, as he would probably do the same.
"I also apologise to all people of Maribor," he said, adding that "despite vandalism, wantonness and insults", he could and should have acted differently and less violently.
He reiterated that he only wanted to "stop the boy and teach him that common property should not be treated in such a way and that insults do not lead anywhere", adding that "he was very restless and upset, so communication was not possible."
The mayor asked the boy for a meeting. "Given that neither he nor I did the right thing, it might be time for us to meet, perhaps also with the parents, and to try to do something good together."
According to Večer, the boy's father does not accept the apology. "He has further hurt and humiliated me with his statement," he said, adding that "a person who cannot manage stress has no business holding such a position."
Local politicians have also responded to the incident, with some of them calling for the mayor's resignation. Arsenovič said he had considered resigning, but decided not to do so after careful deliberation and numerous calls to stay in office.
The father reported the attack to the police and filed a motion to prosecute the mayor for the alleged causing of light bodily harm. The boy allegedly has bruises on his neck, as evidenced by a photo, and his knee was also allegedly injured.
The mayor said he did not know where the boy had gotten these injuries from. "I certainly didn't grab him by the neck, but I did stop him," he said today.
Večer reported that an eyewitness has taken to social networks to say that Arsenovič was not chocking the boy, and that he had only grabbed him after the boy tried to get away.
Klemen Kokol of the tennis club denied that anyone was allowed to take used tennis balls around the court, adding that damage had been done to the property of the tennis club over the Easter holidays.
Arsenovič faced allegations of violent behaviour in the past, as he allegedly bit a part of a finger off a waiter some 20 years ago, and grabbed a young scooter driver by the hand and took away his keys last autumn after he caught him driving in the pedestrian zone.
"I protect the safety in pedestrian zones and I'm making an effort for scooters not to be there," Arsenovič said about the alleged incident at the time.
