Serbia’s opposition announces “more fierce” struggle against regime

“Every single councillor will know when the regime attacks some of us,” Nikola Jovanovic from the Alliance for Serbia (SzS) opposition grouping, said.

Nebojsa Zelenovic, the Mayor of Sabac, the only town in the country led by an opposition politician, added that was the first meeting and that the idea was to form a committee for the coordination of the work of opposition councillors.

He said that “today, protests are organised in 50 places, and will spread to all other.”

Those present signed the Agreement with the People which opposition drafted and signed earlier in the week.

The gathering was told that the opposition had a much harder time in local municipalities. “When it’s dusk in Belgrade, there is thick darkness and the threats become metal bars.”

A metal bar was used in an attack on Borko Stefanovic, an opposition leader and two of his associates, in the central town of Krusevac in November.

 The attack triggered the first protest “Stop Bloody Shirts,” which from December 8 became regular in Belgrade on Saturdays, and in the meantime spread to over 50 places under #1 in 5 million slogan after President Aleksandar Vucic said he would not cede to the protests’ demands even if five million people gathered.

A Democratic Party (DS) official from the northern town of Vrsac Dragana Rakic said “anyone who expresses a critical opinion can expect the regime’s revenge,” like losing the job, threats and other nuisances.

“All that is coordinated from one centre (under the command of) the (ruling) Serbian Progressive Party and Aleksandar Vucic,” she said, adding “the regime knows the end is closing and when a beast is wounded it becomes the most aggressive.”