Serbia against Violence Protest Held in Belgrade

A new Serbia against Violence protest on June 17 (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

On June 17, citizens of the capital took to the streets again for a new Serbia against Violence protest, where, like in previous rallies, students announced that the demonstrations would cease only when all demands were met.

Nebojsa Stanojevic, a miner from Aleksinac, addressed the crowd in front of the Serbian parliament, where he called for a minute of silence in memory of the miners who were killed in Aleksinac in April last year. Other speakers were Pavle Cicvaric, a student, and Mirko Poledica, a soccer player, who voiced the support of athletes to actors targeted by certain media outlets and on social media for participating in the Serbia against Violence protests.

The pro-European opposition parties organizing the protests are demanding the dismissal of the members of the Electronic Media Regulatory Authority's Council and the management of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation for tolerating violence in the media and other violations of the law. The demands include shutting down print media and terminating programming and revoking the national broadcasting licenses of television networks that promote violence, and sacking Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and Security and Information Agency director Aleksandar Vulin.

Other Serbia against Violence protests took place in Novi Sad, Nis and Kragujevac on June 17. The protests are being called by the opposition caucuses  United, the People's Party, Democratic Party, Together-We Must, the Green-Left Club and Don't Let Belgrade Drown which stress that the protests are not political.