17th Serbia against Violence Protest Held in Belgrade

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

During the 17th iteration of the Serbia against Violence protests in Belgrade, protesters marched to the headquarters of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation and Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media on Aug. 26.

The protests in Belgrade, and later across Serbia, were sparked by two mass shootings - the first in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade on May 3 immediately followed by another shooting in villages near Smederevo and Mladenovac on May 4. The demands voiced at the protests, which are being technically organized by parties of the pro-European opposition, include revoking national coverage for the Pink and Happy TV stations and shutting down tabloids that promote hate speech and violence.

The protesters also want Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and Security and Information Agency director Aleksandar Vulin to be dismissed, along with the managements of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation and the Council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media. The protests are being called for by the opposition caucuses Heading for Europe, the People's Party, the Democratic Party, the Together-We Must and the Green-Left Front-Don't Let Belgrade Drown. The organizers stress that the protests are not political.

At the same time, on Aug. 26, activists from the League of Environmental Organizations of Serbia held a protest on Belgrade's Gazela bridge against a recently adopted Law on planning and building. They carried several Serbian flags, a banner reading, "We Won't Give Jadar Up," and a sign reading "Farmers' Survival Initiative."