Belgrade Protests Against President Vucic and Violence: Tens of Thousands on the Streets

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade on Saturday to protest the violence and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

It is the fifth large-scale protest after a series of tragic shootings rocked Serbia.

Demonstrators gathered outside the parliament and on neighborhood streets on Saturday before marching through downtown Belgrade, where Vucic’s official residence is also located.

Vucic’s critics believe that he has fostered an atmosphere of intolerance in society by speaking out hostile to rivals and tightly controlling the media and state institutions. According to critics, private TV channels loyal to Vucic have created an atmosphere promoting violence in the country, reducing the coverage of violence and mafia crimes.

The Serbian president has denied this. He has said he may call an early election in September in response to protests and growing public pressure over the shootings.

Liberal and left-leaning opposition parties and civic movements are calling for protests.

On May 3, a 13-year-old teenager, using his father’s gun, shot nine children and a school guard and injured six students and a teacher at a school in Belgrade.

A day later, a 21-year-old man shot dead eight people and injured 14 in two villages.

The two unrelated incidents shook Serbia.