Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Tens of thousands gather in Serbia's anti-government protest

People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Tens of thousands of Serbs joined an anti-government protest in Belgrade on Saturday, blaming a culture of violence for the deaths of 18 people in two mass shootings and calling on the interior minister to resign.

The protest marked the one-month anniversary of the country's first school shooting on May 3, when a teenager killed ten in an elementary school. In the second shooting on May 4, a 21-year-old man killed eight in a town outside Belgrade.

In response to the shootings, the government announced school summer holidays would start on June 6, two weeks earlier than planned.

People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Opposition parties which organised the protest - the fifth in the space of a month - say the government of President Aleksandra Vucic has failed to tackle the promotion of violence in the media and allowed it to permeate society.

Recent Serbian reality TV shows have featured convicted criminals, including murderers, and shown men beating up women.

Protesters on Saturday shouted "Vucic leave," and held up banners with the slogan "Serbia against violence".

People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Nenad Hadzi Maricic, an actor who was the main speaker at the event, voiced the protesters' demands which include the dismissal of Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and Secret Service Chief Aleksandar Vulin as well as the immediate halt of all TV programmes that promote violence.

Vucic denies the allegations and says the government needs to be challenged in an election. Pink TV has pledged to stop airing a reality show which features a man convicted of murder from next week.

"We must remain persistent in our demands," Aleksandar Saran, one of the protesters told Reuters. "Our demands are not abstract, we just want to live in a healthy environment."

People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Christina Fincher)

People attend the protest "Serbia against violence" by Serbia's opposition parties in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, in Belgrade, Serbia, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.