Belgrade, Serbia
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On Saturday, at least 100,000 people landed on Belgrade on Saturday for a massive rally seen as the end of a month’s protest against President Alexander Vosk and his government.
A large crowd of flag -raising protesters sometimes ignited the central city of the capital despite rains, and people managed to move hard and many people trapped hundreds of meters away from the planned protest site.
After clearly releasing the protesters and the police, university students – who have been guideing peaceful protests for the past four months – demanded that they end the protest on Saturday, saying they could no longer guarantee safety in the rally.
Most of the protesters were dispersed, but as the tensions increased, thousands of people remained on the streets.
Police said the crowd reached 107,000 people at the height of the protest. Serbia’s independent media has described the rally as the biggest in the country, saying that the number is very high. All public transport in Belgrade was canceled when protesters entered the city from different directions.
The rally was part of a nationwide anti -corruption movement, which broke out after a concrete umbrella fell at a train station north of Serbia in November, killing 15 people.
Almost daily demonstrations that began in response to the tragedy have shook the strong grip of Vosk on power in Serbia, as has never been in the last 13 years. Many people in Serbia have demanded accountability for the victims, on the blame for the accident, on the blasphemy of government corruption, negligence and construction protection regulations.
The Saturday rally was named “15 for 15”, citing the history of the protest and the number of people killed in the city of Novi on November 1. The crowd became silent for 15 minutes in the evening to receive the honor of the victims.
Prior to the demonstration, Vokk repeatedly warned of alleged unrest plans, while arrests and severe penalties were threatened for any incidents.
On Saturday, a deaf sound of whistles, drums and voices filled the air. Some protesters picked up banners that were written, “It is over!” The mob shouted “Pump Up”, a slogan in which the students were adopted during the last four months of protests.
“I expect it to give it the authority and Vokk will realize that people are no longer for it.”
Another protesters, another protesters, Dijan Samak, said the mass rally is not the end of the struggle for more democratic Serbia. “This is just the beginning of the end, a process that I hope will end soon,” he said.
Students of the protesting university have been an important force in the anti -graft movement with a call for justice. Students’ determination has come to a chanting among the citizens who are disappointed with politicians and have lost their trust in state institutions.
On Friday evening, thousands of people welcomed students who have been marching or cycling from Serbia to Belgrade for several days.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told State RTS Broadcaster that 13 people were detained overnight. Police detained six opposition activists for allegedly rebeling and plotting to cause unrest, he said.
By the morning of Saturday morning, people were gathering in different parts of the city when they were on their way to the center. Hours before the start of the gathering, the whole city’s zone was filled with people.
Reflecting the tension, police said they arrested a man who sparked his vehicle in the protesters in the Belgrade suburban area, injuring three people. Hundreds of police officers were deployed inside and around the government buildings and in front of the presidential palace.
In an attempt to prevent people from attending the rally, many railways and bus links have been canceled by Belgrade. The transport company said the cancellation was created for “for safety reasons”.
Along with neighboring Croatia, several Slovenia reporters have withdrawn from the Serbia border that their presence in the rally “represents the threat of security.”
Vokk has rejected earlier suggestions for a interim government that will prepare preliminary elections. While promoting the fear of clashes, Vosk supporters have been camping in Central Belgrade in front of their headquarters. These include former members of a horrific paramilitary unit involved in the murder of Serbia’s first Democratic Prime Minister Zurran Judgek in 2003, as well as football thugs who are known for violence.
Private N1 television broadcasts footage of dozens of young people with baseball caps on Saturday, with baseball caps to Pro Vokak camp.
Vosk is claiming that Western intelligence services are behind almost daily protests led by students, which aims to oust it from power. He has not provided any evidence of these claims.
In other Serbia cities, there has been peace at the rallies led by former students, while there is a lot of crowds.
