Serbia’s capital Belgrade on edge ahead of a major rally testing the ruling populists
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s capital Belgrade was on edge on Friday ahead of a major anti-government rall y this weekend, with populist President Aleksandar Vucic ramping up efforts to dissuade people from attending.
Tens of thousands of students and others are expected to converge on Belgrade from all over Serbia for Saturday’s protest, which is seen as a culmination of months of anti-graft demonstrations in the Balkan country and a test for Vucic’s right-wing government, which has faced mounting popular discontent.
The autocratic Serbian president has repeatedly warned that violence is planned at the rally and threatened arrests over any incidents. Vucic’s supporters have been camping in the city center, fueling fears of clashes with the protesters.
Students who have been marching or cycling toward Belgrade for days are expected to arrive on Friday evening for a festival-like welcome downtown.
A group that set off from the northern city of Novi Sad received a warm welcome along the way on Friday in Nova Pazova, some 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Belgrade.
“I honestly hope that there will not be any major problems,” said Emilija Djurdjevic, one of the marchers. “We are coming in peace and we don’t intend to do anything that should not be done. So my expectation is only positive.”
Previous student-led rallies in other Serbian cities have been peaceful while drawing huge crowds.
On Friday, tractors were parked around a park outside the Serbian presidency building in Belgrade where Vucic’s supporters, including former paramilitary fighters, have organized a counter-protest. Authorities said the Parliament building across the street will be locked for the next three days for security reasons.
Also on Friday, Serbia’s railway company Srbijavoz said it was stopping all intercity travel over an alleged bomb scare, a move seen as a way to prevent people from traveling to Belgrade.
Reports also emerged of cancelled bus services toward Belgrade, prompting students to set up an online platform for people to advertise free seats in their cars for those left without transport.
University students in Serbia are a key force behind the nationwide anti-graft movement which started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station and killed 15 people in Serbia’s north more than four months ago.
Almost daily protests have rattled Vucic’s firm grip on power in Serbia with the momentum gradually building in favor of the demands for change.
Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry but the ruling populists have been accused of stifling democratic freedoms while strengthening relations with Russia and China.
Vucic has rejected proposals to form a transitional government that would schedule an election in six months. He has said he will step down “only if they kill me.”
The Serbian president has described the protests as a Western-orchestrated ploy to oust him from power and “destroy” Serbia. He is set to address the nation later on Friday.
Many in Serbia blamed the crash on Nov. 1 in Novi Sad on government corruption and negligence that resulted in poor renovation work on the central train station building.
