The tango festival was in full swing at Mikser House – a contemporary design and performance venue in Belgrade – when armed police stormed the building. Needless to say, the guests, who had come from around the world to take part in an evening of Latin dance, were surprised to find themselves face-to-face with policemen waving rifles and nightsticks.

The raid was one of several that took place that night at independent venues across Belgrade, barely 24 hours after the Guardian published an article on a new, independent creative hub emerging in the Savamala district of the city, in which Mikser House featured heavily. It was a reminder that although the shadow of the old, repressive Balkans is fading, it is yet to disappear completely.

According to those involved with the nightlife scene, the raids were a state PR stunt – albeit an intimidating one – carried out in response to an incident the week before in which a Turkish tourist was hit by a stray bullet on a night out. But it’s notable that alternative clubs were raided, not just known “dodgy” ones. And the fact that police targeted Mikser, part of the city’s new wave of creative venues, caused a particular shockwave.

The huge open-plan converted warehouse, which hosts international design fairs, concerts and theatre, is hardly a crime-ridden dive bar. As the team posted on their Facebook page a day later: “We suggest [the police] look at Mikser’s monthly program and point out exactly where they think narco-dealers might sneak into our ranks. Maybe in the Mikser Kids Market, with the theme ‘Mom, I love you...?’”

At the time, Mikser staff were incensed. They described the raid as being like a movie, with police charging in, batons drawn and guns out, preventing guests from reaching the exit. Outside, police officers were said to be running around as if it was a battlefield. “It’s not easy to understand this type of humiliation, demonstration of force, and shame which we had to live through in front of our guests”, they wrote.

Now that the dust has settled – and following some anxious phone calls from the city authorities – Mikser’s founder, Ivan Lalic, is more measured. “It was just a regular police action,” he says. “But if you think about the context in Savamala then you can understand the strong emotional response. Especially because the police were heavily armed.”

Since 2009 the riverside Savamala neighbourhood where Mikser is based has become a focal point for Belgrade’s creative industries, attracting new visitors to the city. Many of the derelict buildings there have been transformed into galleries, restaurants and venues. The nightlife in the area is also booming, and on weekends the streets are full of taxis and tourists.

However, tensions in the area have risen since last year when the government unveiled a huge Dubai-financed regeneration plan – the Belgrade Waterfront project – that could threaten the future of Savamala. The relationship between the state and independent organisations in Belgrade is already fraught and there is a great deal of mistrust. It is easy to see why the raids struck a nerve.

“To be independent in Serbia is something of a political choice,” says Chris McDonald, spokesperson for Le Studio, a theatre in the nearby Dorćol area. “To still speak freely about social issues and create a space for alternative ideas, perhaps some people aren’t so keen on that.”

The Ministry of Interior says the raids took place in order to verify the employment status of security staff. Police arrested 13 people – all security guards – for possessing batons, rods or similar weapons. “Operations to control nightclubs will be continued and regular, in order to achieve complete security and safety of citizens,” explained an official statement.

Mikser staff hope the response from the public on social media – their posts have been shared by thousands – will mean raids of this nature won’t happen again, although others involved in Belgrade’s cultural scene admit that if this kind of raid is to become a regular occurrence it would put a lot of pressure on the city’s fledgling creative and nightlife community.

For now, the Mikser team are happy to make light of the situation. “From now on, Mikser will send all of its monthly programming to the Ministry of Internal Affairs so they can avoid future disgraceful scenes like this one”, they stated. “Although, a police raid during a showing of ’Dogvil’ would be a perfect concept for interactive theatre...”