Serbia in turmoil: protests demand an end to violence and corruption!

Serbia in turmoil: protests demand an end to violence and corruption!

Protests against the government are becoming increasingly larger in Belgrade. Last Saturday, over 100,000 people gathered there to demonstrate against the political grievances in the country. The SPÖ delegation leader and EU election observer Schieder interpreted this mass movement as a sign of the desire for change in Serbia. “So far, violence has been the only reaction to the protests, but they are now reaching a size that can no longer be ignored or crushed,” he made clear on the X platform. He demanded that the concerns of the demonstrators finally be heard spiegel.de reported.

Government rejects allegations

The Serbian government reacted vehemently. Ambassador Blagojević declared the protests an “illegal” gathering and firmly rejected the allegations of violence against the state. The government emphasizes that no violence was used on its part and that all of the students' demands were met. A possible trigger for the protests is the tragic collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad, in which 15 people lost their lives and which is said to be caused by corruption. Blagojević also reported that there were riots on March 4th in which, among other things, journalists were attacked and a terrorist group that was preparing a coup was arrested. He portrays these events as signs of unrest by the opposition, such as kleinezeitung.at reported.

Tensions between the Serbian government and the protesters are at a peak, while the people in the country are unambiguously articulating their demands for a political rethink. Schieder stated that the current political mood points to people's resistance and that people are hoping for a democratic change.