English
Hundreds of thousands of citizens protested today in downtown Belgrade, but Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic still declared victory over what he refers to as colored revolution.
The protests were moved to the Slavija square, and away from the Parliament building, as fears mounted that incidents might lead to an attempt to seize some of the near-by government buildings. Fights broke out between protesters and the police, as well as among rival groups of protesters, while fireworks and percussion bombs were used – and allegedly a sonic cannon. The gathering included large groups that walked to Belgrade from different parts of the country, to demand accountability for the disastrous accident in the Novi Sad railway station, where the collapse of a gallery killed 15 people in November.
It’s unclear where the protests move after the large gathering in Belgrade. In a late evening address to the nation, Vucic dismissed the idea that a broad government is created to prepare early elections, and said that the tide in public opinion has turned and the protests have lost their support. He accused the protesters of damaging 100 tractors of his supporters – farmers who drove to Belgrade. Blockades at various education institutions are expected to continue.
