Unexpectedly, Serbia has recently had a spiral of protest bodied already exceeding the requirement end the violence in society, first the ‘raison d’être’, which brought discontent to the streets. After mass shootings that killed 18 people this month, direct conflict now against the government nationalist Alexander Vucic related to unpredictable results.
The demonstrators, also supported by various parties, Serbian oppositionSo far, they have carried out three street actions in a row. The next one is scheduled for this weekend, they will parade once again. belgrade and others Serbian cities. Among other requests, they demand: Many senior officials resigned. government (including the interior minister and head of the secret service) and licenses are not renewed transmission two private television channels Promoting violent content (of six content available nationwide). They believe these emissions contributed to the creation of the climate that led to the massacres.
A large number of people who have been demonstrating so far, many with their families, surprised the governmentresponded aggressively to the protest. Vučić accused them of wanting politicizing a tragedy and creating “chaos and instability” in Serbia. Some even stood behind the protests without solid arguments. American CIA. tips further angered the demonstratorsThose who claim that, along with disinformation tactics from the 1990s, the government has once again waved the card of victimization and external enemy to discredit them.
tired citizen
Analyst Aleksandra Tomanic, managing director of the European Balkans Fund, recalls: status “boiling” for a long time. “Vučić literally took control of the entire economy, society, politics, all spheres of country life. And now people are tired, inflation skyrocketed, there’s more poverty…” he confirms. “Vučić’s internal discourse is different, Vučić’s internal discourse is completely different. Internally, its narrative is disturbing, with media close to it fear, anxiety,polarization and violence, to think. And that’s why “Serbia doesn’t have,” he adds. elections Free and fair in 10 years”.
of being autocrat chanceAmong other things, Vucić has been persistently accused by his detractors since he won the 2017 presidential election. several daysbetween accusations related to election fraud. against him Serbian leader. The same thing happened in 2018 after opposition representative Borko Stefanovic was attacked in the southern city of Krusevac. And again in 2021 and 2022: people took to the streets to protest against exploitation between lithium.
The difference, according to Savo Manojlović, is that “we are much more, there are new faces And younger”. According to this activist, from the Kreni Promeni (Go and Change) platform, one of the main organizers of the calls, the current protest Remember The great marches of the 90s against the deceased strong man related to Serbia Slobodan Milosevic (of which Vucić was collaborator) was later charged with war crimes. “Today people want normality, democracy. That’s why they want to break the system of corruption, dysfunction and partidocracy,” says Manojlović.
No EU solidarity
Another episode reflects the tension in the country: muralsIt was made by hooligans and dedicated to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the General. ratko mladicHe was convicted of genocide in 2017. belgradehas been closed recently. And no one cleared them so faras in other cases.
So what announcement Vucic what do you want”disarm the country (of the many weapons left in the possession of citizens after the wars) would soothe their souls. Even more, the authorities announced parallel walk in favor of Vucić in the next few days.
What is unknown is whether the critics’ protests will continue or, as in previous cases, the protesters will eventually tire of it and leave their public events. Two factors do not play in their favor: opposition This very divided and those who have not yet sampled solidarity “This also explains why sentiment towards the EU has dropped in Serbia,” Tomanic said of big players such as the European Union (EU).