Tens of thousands of people have been gathering every weekend to march against what they call the climate of “political violence” in Serbia created under the rule of President Aleksandar Vucic and his governing Serbian Progressive Party.
We present some of the key facts about the protests: who the organizers are; what their demands are; and what the reactions so far have been.
How and why did the protests begin?
The so-called “1 of 5 million” protests started on December 8, 2018. They were triggered by an incident a few weeks earlier on November 23, when an opposition politician, Borko Stefanovic, was attacked and beaten in the southern town of Krusevac.
So far, nine regular protests have been held in Belgrade. One extraordinary one was held on January 16, when protesters marked the first anniversary of the unresolved murder of the moderate Kosovo Serb politician, Oliver Ivanovic, in Mitrovica, Kosovo.
Initially, the protests were held only in Belgrade. But in January, people in more than 30 Serbian cities and towns joined in with their own protests.
About 20 cities and towns have announced they will hold rallies in February, according to the organizers.
For the first time, a protest was announced also in the northern, Serbian half of the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica on February 2, which angered the ruling Progressive Party in Serbia and its Kosovo Serbian client, the Serbian List.
The protesters gather each Saturday at 6pm at the Students Square in the centre of Belgrade. After hearing speeches, the column of people march near the all important Serbian state institutions such as the parliament, the presidency, the public broadcaster, RTS, and sometimes the government building.
Who are the organizers?
The protests are formally organized by the “Protest Against Dictatorship”, the group that organized earlier mass protests after Vucic was elected President of Serbia in April 2016.
One of the most quoted persons among the organizers, Jelena Anasonovic, is a student at Belgrade University’s Political Sciences Faculty.
The events have drawn in a majority of opposition leaders. Many members of their parties attend the rallies, without displaying any party banners of insignia.
What is the role of opposition parties?
Members and senior officials of the opposition parties gathered in the Alliance for Serbia now attend these events.
The Alliance unites several parties and movements of different ideologies, including some on the right.
After the January 26 protest, when protest leaders called on opposition parties to reveal their concrete plans for Serbia, and prove they deserve people’s trust, the opposition promised to present an agenda soon, in answer to this call.
Who is supporting the protests?
Besides a majority of opposition parties and movements, the protests have received support from several hundred professors and associates from Belgrade University’s Philosophy, Political Science and Law faculties, and from some teachers at the Law Faculty of Union University.
Some professors from the universities in Novi Sad and Kragujevac have also voiced their support.
A large number of students also support the protests. It has been announced that some of them will join a 5.5 kilometre-long walk from the Political Sciences Faculty to Students Square to join the February 2 protest.
Some lawyers, judges, writers, actors, singers and other public figures also support the protests.
What do the protesters demand?
The key demands are measures to stop suspected abuse of the electoral roll and public resources in election campaigns, better control of the election process and campaigns – and criminal sanctions against those that abuse the campaigns.
Other demands are for protest representatives to get five minutes on the main news show of the public broadcaster, RTS, and the more regular presence of opposition politicians on RTS.
They also demand an investigation into the attempted murder of Serbian website Zig Info journalist Milan Jovanovic whose home was torched in the Belgrade suburb of Vrcin on December 12.
They also demand the resignation of the Interior Minister for allegedly insulting the protesters, among other things.
They also want the authorities to resolve the murder one year ago of the Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic.
Have any demands been fulfilled?
On January 25, President Vucic said the police had arrested the head of the Belgrade municipality of Grocka and Progressive Party official Dragoljub Simonovic, on suspicion that he ordered the attack on the home of the journalist Milan Jovanovic, which was torched on December 12.
Three more people were arrested earlier on suspicion of having executed this crime.
What reactions to the protests have there been?
President Vucic has insisted he will not give in to “blackmail from opposition politicians”, but has added that he is willing to meet and hear from citizens who are not satisfied with his rule.
He also hinted that he might call snap elections. “If you want to change something, here – go for elections,” he said on January 1, Beta news agency reported.
However, opposition parties gathered in the Alliance have said they will not participate in snap elections under what they call the current unfair conditions.
Many of them instead call for the formation of a “transitional government” of experts, with a one-year mandate, after which fair elections would be held.
The Balkaninsight
