Tens of thousands of Serbs have taken to the streets of Belgrade to demand an improvement in the security situation, a ban on violent content on television, and the resignation of ministers, writes Reuters.
Crowds marched through the streets of Belgrade holding placards reading “Serbia against violence”. A Belgrade resident told Reuters: “We have gathered here to pay our respects and make sure nothing like this happens again.”
On the 3rd of May, a student killed eight students and a guard at the school, another six students and a teacher were injured. A day later, on the 4th of May, a 21-year-old man, armed with an automatic weapon and a pistol, killed eight and injured 14 people. Both attackers surrendered to the police.
Protesters and opposition leaders have demanded the
closure of television channels and other media that are accused of spreading violent and vulgar content.
Opposition parties and individual groups of rights defenders accuse Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling party of autocracy, restriction of media freedom, violent treatment of political opponents, corruption, and ties to organized crime.
Vucic announced on Monday, the 8th of May, that the protesters want to get him to resign and destabilize the situation in the country. He indicated that he was ready to test his party’s popularity in the vote, but did not specify a specific date when that might happen. Parliamentary elections in Serbia are scheduled for 2026, while presidential elections are scheduled for 2027.
The protesters demanded the resignation of the Interior Minister, Bratislav Gasic, and the head of the State Security Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, as well as a change in the composition of the Regulatory Committee for Electronic Media.
Serbian Education Minister Branko Ruzic resigned on Sunday, the 7th of May.
In response to the shootings, Serbian
police on the 8th of May announced a one-month period during which citizens can hand in illegal firearms.
More than 1,500 weapons were submitted on the first day.
In Serbia, as in other countries of the Western Balkans, there is a huge amount of military-grade weapons in the possession of individuals after the war of the 1990s.