Thousands rallied against the culture of violence in the Serbian capital Belgrade. This is the third such mass action since the beginning of May.
Protesters are unhappy with the actions of the authorities after two shootings that killed 18 people, including children. The protesters are calling on President Aleksandar Vučić, Interior Minister Bratislav Gašić and head of the security service Aleksandar Vulin to resign.
The protesters are also demanding the removal of licenses from two television networks, which, in their opinion, promote violence and speak positively about criminal personalities.
The opposition parties that organized the protests claim that the shootings were due to a culture of violence propagated through the media. Activist Elena Mikhailovich read out the demands of the opposition in front of the parliament building.
“We are here because we want a Serbia without violence. We cannot let them (the government) play with our children’s lives,” she said.
The protesters marched through the capital, stopping traffic on the main bridge and highway passing through the city. Journalists note that it was the most massive of the past rallies.
The Serbian authorities deny the accusations of the opposition parties. The country’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, said the authorities were not responsible for the shootings and called opposition MPs “a core of violence.” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said the opposition’s protests were staged by the West. He accused his political opponents of trying to seize power through violence and “destroy Serbia”.
On May 3, in Belgrade, a 14-year-old student opened fire at a school, killing nine people – eight students and a security guard. The teenager fired two pistols, including a Serbian CZ 99 self-loading pistol. The weapon is believed to belong to the child’s father, who had five full clips with him. The incident took place at the Vladislav Rybnikar school.
On the evening of May 4, a shooting in the village of Dubona in the urban community of Mladenovac in Serbia killed eight people, including children. The 21-year-old quarreled with friends in the school yard, after which he went home for a Kalashnikov assault rifle, returned and opened fire, wrote B92. After that, he got into the car and started shooting at other people in the surrounding areas.
