Belgrade Sees 21st Serbia against Violence Protest

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

On Sept. 23, citizens of Belgrade took to the streets for the 21st time to participate in a new Serbia against Violence march, congregating in front of the parliament and concluding the march in front of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation's headquarters.

The protesters carried signs reading: "Turn off the [Serbian Broadcasting Corporation], turn your brain on," "The state, the [Serbian Broadcasting Corporation] and the people are hostages of the AV [Aleksandar Vucic] mafia." People's Party MP Miroslav Aleksic said the protest would not be abandoned but would continue every Saturday, because "the streets are the only institution that works right now."

The Serbia against Violence protests were sparked by two mass shootings -- at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade on May 3 and in villages near Smederevo and Mladenovac on May 4. The organizers of the protests are demanding that the managements of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation and the Electronic Media Regulatory Authority be replaced and that Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and Security and Information Agency director Aleksandar Vulin be sacked.

The protesters are also demanding that the national frequencies of the Pink and Happy TV stations be revoked, and that media outlets that promote violence be shut down. The organizers of the protests are the caucuses of the "Heading Europe," the People's Party, the Democratic Party, Together-We Must, the Green-Left club and the People's Movement of Serbia-Ecologic Uprising-New Face of Serbia. These caucuses recently signed an "Agreement for Freedom," which entails joint action toward an early parliamentary election and elections in Belgrade, which they want to be held before the year is out.