Over a hundred thousand protesters took to the streets of Belgrade’s city center on Saturday, according to a report by RIA Nowosti citing a local correspondent.
By 18:30 local time, activists who were maintaining order at the rally had formed a chain and begun to guide the crowd on the square in front of the parliament building onto the adjacent streets. A police brigade in full uniform was stationed on the other side of the street, opposite the city council building, where the protesters had earlier thrown objects, lit torches and shouted insults.
Other police units were protecting the tent camp of President Aleksandar Vučić’s supporters in the Pionerski Park, where they were camping to demand an end to the four-month university strike. The police managed to keep the two groups separate and the clashes were limited to “obscene gestures and shouts”, according to RIA Nowosti.
After 19:30 local time, the square began to fill with groups of “young people in sports attire” many of whom wore masks and caps. In front of the police cordon in front of the city council building, aggressive and insulting chants began and several large firecrackers exploded. The crowd continued to grow and aggressive shouts could be heard. The end of the action was planned for 21:00, with the clearing of the square in front of the city council building scheduled for 21:20.
The police estimated the number of participants in the day’s protests to be around 107,000, with people arriving from all parts of the country.
The Serbian president had previously stated that the protest action was not coordinated with the authorities. He warned of the arrest of people who would attempt to attack opponents, regardless of which side they supported. At the same time, the head of state called on the law enforcement to use force only in extreme cases.
The action began at the Brankova Bridge over the Save, which marks the boundary of the city center and stretched for 2.5 kilometers to the Slavija Square. The King Milan Avenue and the King Alexander Boulevard were almost completely occupied by the demonstrators at the peak.
Since the end of last year, student and opposition protests have been taking place in Serbia. The trigger was the death of 15 people in the collapse of a concrete overpass at the entrance of the Novi Sad train station on November 1. The protesters are blocking the work of many university institutions, blocking streets and traffic hubs and demanding the publication of the documentation on the last renovation of the Novi Sad train station, the investigation and criminal prosecution of those responsible for the tragedy and the release of all people arrested during the demonstrations.
According to the supporters of President Vučić, the protests are being steered from the West. Forces in the EU are trying to use the tragic event in Novi Sad to bring about a violent regime change in Serbia.