Abuse of the interlocutor of "Vremena" in the Hit Tweet show

In the "Hit Tweet" show, broadcast on Sunday, March 16, on Pink TV, the psychologist's statement was taken out of context and misrepresented. Zarko Trebješanin which he gave for the portal "Vremena" and the text "Dementors and stampede in Kralja Milan".

In the 32nd minute of the show, host Verica Bradić misquoted the statement, so Žarko Trebješanin contacted us about it and sent a correction to the editor of the show "Hit Tweet" Verica Bradić.

We reproduce his correction in full:

Dear editor Bradić, in your widely watched show "Hit Tweet", broadcast on March 16, as a support for the thesis that a sound cannon was not used at the big protest in Belgrade the previous day, but it was some kind of collective deception, mass delusion, you quoted my statement to the "opposition Vremen" ("Dementors and stampede in Kralja Milana"). As confirmation of Seselj's claim that the sudden, inexplicable mass flight of people in Ulica Kralja Milana is a psychological phenomenon, you read that I allegedly said "that people actually influence people and that this is the cause of the panicked flight...".

I neither said nor does it say that "this is the cause of panic flight". Thus, viewers are led to the wrong conclusion that even one expert, "psychologist Žarko Trebješanin", believes that there was no objective cause, that a device called a "sound cannon" was not used, but that it is a purely subjective, psychological phenomenon of causeless panic, which "often occurs in the crowd", as Sešelj says.

Of course, that's a misrepresentation of my analysis. On the contrary, based on numerous evidences, a dangerous and insidious weapon was certainly used illegally to break up demonstrations, which causes not only psychological effects, but also physiological and neuropsychological adverse phenomena (disorientation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, ear pain, impaired vision, etc.).

In my statement it is unequivocally clear: "As soon as that sound disappeared, people stopped." To piercing sounds, you react with jerks, run away. You don't have time to experience what is happening, but you react as if a missile is approaching, it is not a clear awareness and you involuntarily start to run away."

My observation that the effect of panic was short-lived and that people calmed down very quickly as soon as that strange, frightening sound passed was accurately reported on the Vremena portal. "That," says Trebješanin, "is surprising, because usually when the mass starts, it continues to move and move." That's how people get killed in a stampede because someone gets stuck in a sandwich, someone stumbles and gets run over. Here composure won."

For the professional, truthful and complete information of the viewers, I would ask you to read this correction of mine.

Greeting,

Žarko Trebješanin

What did Žarko Trebješanin say about "Vreme"?

Psychologist Žarko Trebješanin spoke for the text "Vreme" investigates: Dementors and stampede in King of Milan, and we remind you of the parts of the text that are discussed.

Psychologist Žarko Trebješanin explains what happened as "a sound like a projectile flying towards you, something hissing through the air and in such situations people react instinctively".

"People have only a few innate instinctive reactions, so, for example, when an object is approaching you at an extraordinary speed, you have the need to run away, to go backwards. When such a wave starts, you cannot help yourself, because such a reaction is built into you, the pattern of such behavior is programmed and it is life-saving in some situations," he says for "Vreme".

The panic effect was short-lived. That, says Trebješanin, is surprising because usually when the mass starts, it continues to move and move. That's how people get killed in a stampede because someone gets stuck in a sandwich, someone stumbles and gets run over. Here composure won.

"As soon as that sound disappeared, people stopped." To piercing sounds, you react with jerks, run away. You don't have time to experience what is happening, but you react as if a missile is approaching, it is not a clear awareness and you involuntarily start to run away."

Many eyewitnesses told us that in a moment of flight, they heard many people from the side - mostly those who were not on the roadway - shouting "calm" or "slow" and "don't panic".

The catch is that it doesn't have to be that everyone was running away from the mysterious sound or wave. The videos clearly show some people - maybe five or ten percent of them - who did not even run away from the street but calmly walked.

Trebješanin says that people also react to people. When you see someone running away, run away too.

There are TikTokers who make reality skits out of it. Only on the street they suddenly bend down and look up, as if something is falling, and the people around them immediately do the same even though there is no real danger.

"That behavior is known in social psychology. Of course, that doesn't always have to be good. But these are shortcuts, we don't have time to think and then we follow a short path, from the signal to the motor action, a little time passes. You can't sit down and put your finger to your forehead to think."

Comments "Vreme" investigates: Dementors and stampede in Kralja Milan was published on Sunday, March 16.