A wave of anti-government sentiment has swept by way of Serbia, with tens of 1000’s of residents taking to the streets in Belgrade for the sixth time since May 3. This public outcry has been fueled by a perceived culture of violence, which many consider is answerable for the deaths of 18 people in two mass shootings. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the interior minister and are demanding action against felony groups.
The protesters gathered in front of the parliament, chanting for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to step down and holding banners studying “Students in opposition to violence.” They then marched to the government building, voicing their demands for change. The Serbian capital, along with other cities, has seen a surge in mass demonstrations because the two lethal shooting rampages in early May, which left 18 useless and 20 others wounded, including elementary school pupils.
Protesters have known as for the resignation of Serbia’s inside minister, Bratislav Gasic, and secret service chief Aleksandar Vulin, accusing them of failing to convey legal teams to justice. “ Verify can’t return the lives to the victims, however we can make certain that this doesn’t occur once more,” actor Milan Maric told the gang. “We want Serbia without violence, Serbia with hope.”
In addition to the resignations, demonstrators are demanding the withdrawal of national broadcast licences for television channels Pink TV and Happy TV, in addition to a ban on certain tabloids, which they imagine promote violence. “I count on the protest to proceed, because there is no different means,” said Milica, a protester. “I think, at one level, the federal government must give in, that is a massive quantity of folks and finally they must give in to this pressure.”
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has expressed her willingness to resign and has invited opposition parties, who have backed the protests, for dialogue. However, protest leaders have said that they will not engage in discussions with the government till all their demands have been met. President Vucic has defended his authorities, stating, “Is the federal government accountable for crimes that happened? I can’t settle for that.”