 "‘He’s finished!’: Over 100,000 protesters flood Belgrade in one of the biggest anti-govt rallies")
At least 107,000 people gathered in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade on Saturday to protest against what they describe as government corruption, according to the interior minister.
The ministry reported no major incidents during the rally, which began around midday and reiterated the government’s call for calm. The protest was marked by the loud blare of whistles, drums, and vuvuzelas, with some demonstrators holding banners that read, “He’s Finished!” The crowd chanted “Pump it Up,” a slogan popularised during four months of student-led protests.
“I expect this to shake his authority and for Vucic to realize that people no longer support him,” said Milenko Kovacevic, one of the protesters.
The rally, likely the largest anti-government protest in Serbia’s history, follows over four months of demonstrations against corruption, posing the most significant challenge to President Aleksandar Vucic’s 13-year rule.
The protests were sparked by the deaths of 15 people in a railway station roof collapse, which led to accusations of widespread corruption and negligence. However, with supporters of Vucic’s government also gathering in the capital, concerns about potential clashes were on the rise.
The massive rally is not the endgame in a struggle for a more democratic Serbia, Dejan Simic, a protester, said. “This is just the beginning of the end, a process which I hope will end soon,” he said.
In statements issued on social media, students urged those attending the rally to act “in a calm and responsible manner”.
“The purpose of this movement is not an incursion into institutions, nor to attack those who do not think as we do,” read one statement.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“This movement must not be misused.”
Vucic claims West is backing protests
Vucic has rejected earlier proposals for a transitional government that would prepare an early election. Fueling fears of clashes, Vucic’s supporters have been camping in central Belgrade in front of his headquarters. They include ex-members of a dreaded paramilitary unit involved in the assassination in 2003 of Serbia’s first democratic Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, as well as soccer hooligans who are known for causing violence.
Private N1 television on Saturday broadcast footage of dozens of young men with baseball caps going into the pro-Vucic camp.
Vucic has been claiming that Western intelligence services were behind almost daily student-led protests with an aim to oust him from power. He has presented no evidence for the claims.
Previous student-led rallies in other Serbian cities have been peaceful while drawing huge crowds.
With inputs from agencies
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