After months of peaceful protests, Serbia braces for one of the largest demonstrations in decades on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of protesters are expected in Belgrade, as President Aleksandar Vucic’s regime ramps up rhetoric against them.
Since early November, Serbian students have led protests against the government, accusing it of being responsible for the collapse of a canopy at the newly renovated Novi Sad station, which resulted in 15 deaths. The protest movement has grown into one of the largest in Serbia’s recent history, with almost daily demonstrations highlighting government corruption that led to the Novi Sad disaster.
Vucic and his allies recently escalated their attacks on the protesters, further heightening tensions. The president claims that foreign powers are funding the activists and that they are preparing for violence and possibly revolution. The United Nations has urged Serbian authorities to “refrain from unnecessary interference” in the protests and “respect the full exercise of the right to peaceful assembly.”
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In a speech on Friday evening, Vucic insisted that Serbia is “extremely democratic,” but added that as president, he will not allow “the streets to dictate the rules.”
At the same time, dozens of riot police were reported in central Belgrade, where the first protesters began to gather. On Friday, six militants were arrested, suspected of planning actions against Serbia’s constitutional order and security. Due to rising tensions, protesters have been advised to leave their children at home.
“We have seen for days that the regime is trying to increase the pressure,” said Srdjan Cvijic of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy. “Everyone is wondering if the government will try to incite violence, which it could then use as an excuse to declare a state of emergency. So far, the protest movement has been entirely non-violent. We all know that if violence occurs, we know where it will come from.”
