serbia march 2023
Marchers in Serbian capital's second protest in a week decried populist president Aleksandar Vučić
Tens of thousands of people have marched through Belgrade, blocking a key bridge in the second large protest since two mass shootings that rattled Serbia and left 17 people dead, including many children.

Protesters gathered in front of the parliament building on Friday before filing by the government's HQ and on to a highway bridge spanning the Sava River, where evening commuters had to turn their vehicles around to avoid getting stuck. At the head of the column was a black banner reading "Serbia against violence."

As the demonstrators passed the government buildings, many chanted slogans decrying Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, whom they blame for creating an atmosphere of hopelessness and division in the country that they say indirectly led to the mass shootings.


Comment: Vucic and his officials also recently stated outright that the West is coercing them to sanction Russia, which has made them rather unpopular with the establishment and its propaganda media, such as the AFP, where this report comes from.


Pro-government media criticised the bridge blockade, with the Novosti daily newspaper reporting that "harassment has begun, hooligans have blocked the bridge".

But opposition politician Srdjan Milivojevic told TV station N1: "This is a battle for survival." He added: "If the president does not understand his people, it's time he resigned."

Police did not intervene.

Before the protest, Vučić, who holds nearly all the levers of power, said the protest amounted to "violence in politics" and the "harassment" of citizens. But he said police would not get involved "unless people's lives are in danger".

"What gives them the right to block other people's normal lives?" said Vučić, who accused opposition leaders of "abusing the tragedy" following the shootings that deeply rattled the nation and triggered calls for change.

"They are harassing citizens and not allowing them to travel," Vučić insisted. "But we don't like to beat protesters, like France and Germany do."

The rally came less than a week after an earlier protest in Belgrade that also drew thousands and other demonstrations in smaller towns and cities around the country.

At the prior Belgrade protest, demonstrators demanded the resignations of government ministers and the withdrawal of broadcast licences for two private TV stations that are close to the state and promote violence. They often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their programmes.

The two shootings happened within two days of each other and left 17 people dead and 21 wounded. On 3 May, a 13-year-old boy used his father's gun to open fire at his school in central Belgrade. The next day, a 20-year-old man randomly fired at people in a rural area south of the capital.


Comment: More on that, here: Serbia: eight killed in second mass shooting in days, President pledges to seize all firearms


Opposition parties have accused Vučić's populist government of fuelling intolerance and hate speech while taking hold of all institutions. Vučić has denied this. He has announced his own rally on 26 May in Belgrade, which he said will be the "biggest ever".

"We do not organise spontaneous rallies in order to play with people's emotions," Vučić said. "Ours will be a rally of unity, when we will announce important political decisions."

Vučić also told reporters that citizens had handed in more than 9,000 weapons since police announced a one-month amnesty for people to surrender unregistered guns and ammunition or face possible jail sentences after that period.

Serbia is estimated to be among the top countries in Europe for the number of guns per capita, many of them left over from the wars in the 1990s.

Other anti-gun measures after the shootings include a ban on new gun licences, stricter controls on gun owners and shooting ranges, and tougher punishments for the illegal possession of weapons.