Teachers, entrepreneurs, market vendors in separate protests

Entrepreneurs gathered in front of the government building to express their dissatisfaction with the general attitude of the authorities towards them, claiming a lack of support. The head of the Association to Protect Entrepreneurs Predrag Mitrovic told N1 that their protest was organized to draw attention to what he called a terrible situation facing business people who “should be carrying all economic activities and shoulder the stability of the state”.

Market stall retailers started their protest with a march past the government headquarters to the Serbian presidency building to voice their opposition to a new law which will force them to have cash registers on their stalls by May 1. The head of their union Srdjan Prastalo told Nova.rs that they are “here to defend what our fathers left us”. “We won’t sell and I am sure that our message will get to the right place,” he said. That protest drew stall vendors from across Serbia.

Teachers from vocational high schools gathered in front of the Education Ministry, warning that the Serbian education system “hit rock bottom”. The teachers demanded better working conditions and higher pay, warning of verbal and physical assaults on teachers by students.