Serbian Public Protests Following Armed Attacks
Mass Protests in Belgrade: Serbia Against Violence
Last week, two shootings in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, resulted in mass protests led by the opposition. Over 50,000 people joined the demonstrations under the banner “Serbia against violence,” calling for an end to incitement to violent acts and the removal of violent programs from Serbian Radio and Television (RTS). The protesters also demanded the resignation of RTS’s management and the supervisory board responsible for determining which channels will air in Serbia.
During the demonstrations, the protesters blamed the country’s Minister of Interior Bratislav Gasic and Head of Security and Intelligence Agency Aleksandar Vulin for the mass attacks that claimed the lives of 17 people last week. The demonstrators called on the responsible officers and executives to resign.
In addition to Belgrade, another protest was held in the city of Novi Sad with the slogan “Everything must stop.” Opposition representatives demanded that the Serbian Parliament convene only with the agenda of “the role of the government in the current security situation of the country.” They also gave the government until May 12 to implement their demands. If their demands are not met, the opposition has announced that measures appropriate to the tragedy’s scale will be taken.
On May 3, a 14-year-old 7th-grade student named Kosta Kecmanovic carried out an armed attack at the Vladislav Ribnikar Primary School in Vracar near Belgrade, killing nine people, including eight children. The attack resulted in one teacher and six students sustaining injuries. Investigations have revealed that Kecmanovic had planned the attack in advance and prepared a list of victims’ names. Two days after the school attack, 21-year-old Uros Blazic shot at random from a moving vehicle with an automatic rifle, killing eight people in Mladenvac. The government has declared national mourning in response to these shootings.
The protesters’ demands and accusations of specific officials’ responsibility for the shootings have intensified the political climate in Serbia. The world is now waiting to see whether the government will meet the opposition’s demands. The eyes of the international community are on the country, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
