Protest “Serbia Against Violence” held in Belgrade

The organizers said that, according to police estimates, the “Serbia Against Violence” protest was attended by over 50 thousand people. Protest rallies were also held in other Serbian cities.

The organizers include the Democratic Party, the People’s Party, the Green Left Front - Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own, the Together party, Party of Freedom and Justice Party, the Movement of Free Citizens, United Unions Sloga and Movement for Reversal.

Ahead of the protest the opposition noted that “the protest is not partisan,” and that the rally would take place without party symbols and speeches.

The protesters assembled at 6pm Monday outside the Serbian Parliament building where a Serbian language teacher read out their demands, following which they headed, in silence, to the Serbian Government building.

The protesters’ demands are as follows:

1. Urgent end to the further promotion of violence in the media and public space, the dismissal of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council members, a shutdown of print media and tabloids that promote hatred and violence and continuously violate the journalists’ code of ethics, revoking national broadcasting licenses of television stations that promote violence, such as Pink TV and Happy TV, and immediate cancellation of programs that promote violence, immorality and aggression on televisions with a national frequency, such as reality shows.

2. Dismissals of Education Minsiter Branko Ruzic (who handed in his resignation on Sunday), Internal Affairs Minister Bratislav Gasic and Security Information Agency (BIA) director Aleksandar Vulin.

3. An urgent session of parliament at which the responsibility of the government and the security situation in the country will be considered, as well as long-term solutions that must be implemented so that such events never happen again.

The crowd also called for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s resignation and for the dismissal of the Serbian state TV (RTS) management.

The deadline for meeting all protest demands is set for Friday, May 12.

A thirteen-year-old boy killed eight students and a security guard in a Belgrade elementary school last Wednesday. On Thursday night a man killed eight and wounded 14 people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers south of Belgrade.