Mass protests took place in the capital of Serbia. Last Sunday, demonstrators broke into the television broadcasting center and then tried to storm the presidential palace. As a result, the protesters were dispersed by the police, and the most aggressive were detained.
Our special correspondent in Belgrade Alexander Rogatkin has the details of the protesters' demands and the authorities' response.
There's unrest in Belgrade. Protesters demand that President Vucic resign as they periodically storm government institutions. Several thousand people chanting anti-government slogans took to the streets. There are insults and accusations of corruption being thrown at the current president.
- Vucic must resign!
- Why?
- He's destroyed our state over these 7 years. And we're fighting for a normal Serbia.
The Doors political movement along with the Union for Serbia, a coalition of both right and left forces, brought people to the streets.
"We fight for basic civil freedoms: freedom of the press and the right to free and fair elections. We won't back off until Vucic resigns".
The leader of The Doors party is ready to break down any door to achieve his goal. They demand the freedom of speech and are ready to trample on Serbian television reporters. The opposition doesn't like the way the state channel is covering the protests. Bosko Obradovic demands that he be aired immediately.
"We don't want any violence. Just take us to the studio from which the television programs are being aired".
The police managed to push the intruders out of the building and had to detain the most active ones. Belgrade's Radio Television of Serbia, which is marking the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombings, got the worst of it. Protesters tried to storm it but the police prevented them from doing it. Now, protesters are circling it. Then, they all went to the city police to demand the release of their peers arrested the day before. They also tried to break into the presidential palace where Vucic was holding a press conference. The president called the actions by the opposition a provocation and the leaders of the protests nothing less than fascists.
Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia: "I don't want to talk to fascist leaders like Bosko Obradovic. As you can see, I don't even want to talk now when my life is in danger. That doesn't worry me. I'm not afraid at all".
Among the protesters, there are a lot of young people and the old Belgrade intelligentsia, who still remember how Milosevic was overthrown. There are those who are for European integration, and those who support closer ties with Russia.
- What's the protesters' attitude toward Russia?
Nadya Domashevic, Belgrade resident: "It's great. Everyone here loves Russia a lot." Spring came to Belgrade. The weather on the streets is good, and, according to political analysts, the opposition will try to hold rallies almost every day".
Alexander Rogatkin, Valentina Rudkevich, and Konstantin Pivunov for Vesti from Belgrade.
