Opposition MPs, protest organizers and security personnel managed to prevent an escalation of a tense situation at the end of the Serbia Against Violence protest on Friday evening.

Two groups of protesters refused to quit at the end of the protest, one standing in front of a side entrance to the Serbian state TV (RTS) and the second on the steps in front of parliament.

Opposition MPs and protest security personnel stood in front of the group of protesters who demanded the resignations of the RTS management and tried to enter the building. Djordje Pavicevic, one of the MPs who tried to ease the very tense situation, told N1 that some in that group were there to cause incidents. He said various groups of people were at the protest, including some who he assumed were sent in by the authorities.

The crowd gathered at the main entrance was much calmer, according to an N1 reporter, with people walking by and not just standing in front of the building where security screens were lowered over doors and windows.

A second group gathered in front of the Serbian Parliament, bringing their own sound system. An organizer said that they were part of a group of anti-globalists who advocate conspiracy theories. That group demanded President Vucic’s resignation and an end to the anti-violence protests, the organizer said.

Protest organizers distanced themselves from what they said was a group of irresponsible people gathered in front of parliament with the aim of compromising the protest.

An N1 crew recorded Gendarmerie vans in front of the local police station around the corner from the RTS building. There were no uniformed police officers at the protest, except for traffic police patrols.