Over 100,000 rally in Serbia's capital for anti-graft rally
More than 100,000 protesters converged in Serbia's capital Belgrade Saturday in what was likely the largest in a series of anti-corruption demonstrations that have upended the Balkan country in recent months.
The movement formed after 15 people were killed when a railway station roof collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in November, igniting long-simmering anger over alleged corruption and lax oversight in construction projects.
For weeks, student-led protesters have criss-crossed the country, holding rallies in Serbia's major cities.
They have also taken their anti-corruption crusade to the rural areas and small towns that have long been the backbone of Vucic's support.
Their return to Belgrade on Saturday will likely further ramp up already compounding pressure on President Aleksancar Vucic's government, with several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister, having resigned in recent months.
Like others before it, Saturday's protest cut across a wide-spectrum of society, bringing together those aligned with the far left and right.
Amid scores of Serbian flags, some waved banners calling for environmental protection, while others demanded the return of the former breakaway province of Kosovo.
"We have gathered in the streets primarily to express our complete dissatisfaction after years of dictatorship, lawlessness, and corruption," said Ognjen Djordjevic, a 28-year-old resident from Belgrade.
- 'Incidents and clashes' -
At one point the crowd stretched for nearly two kilometres, with people filling the streets in and around the parliament and the capital's main pedestrian square.
The interior ministry later said that at least 107,000 people had turned out.
Following hours of largely peaceful protests, police later reported that there had been some "incidents and clashes among some participants" of the protests.
Around 7:20 pm (18:20 GMT), a leading student group called on all protesters to exit the area near the parliament, citing security concerns after bottles and stones were allegedly thrown.
President Vucic's office said he was set to address the nation around 10:00 pm local time (2100 GMT).
The reports of scattered incidents came as fears rose over potential clashes with supporters of Vucic's embattled government, who had also gathered in the capital.
- 'I will not be pressured' -
In the days leading up to the protest, ultranationalists, militia members, and alleged football hooligans camped out near the parliament and presidency.
Ahead of the protest, layers of riot police earlier fanned out near the encampment and around the parliament.
On Friday evening, Vucic took to the airways with a defiant message as demonstrators began to trickle into the city, vowing to not back down in the face of mass protests.
"Just to be clear, I will not be pressured," said Vucic during a national televised address.
"I'm the president of Serbia and I won't let the streets set the rules in this country."
He went on to call on all sides to refrain from using violence and instructed police to not use excessive force.
On Friday night, thousands lined Belgrade's streets to welcome student protesters arriving in the capital after they marched for days from cities across Serbia.
"There definitely won't be any violence here because we all came with the same purpose -- to wait for the people who marched, the people who are liberating Serbia," said Tijana Djuric -- a 20-year-old student at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade.
- 'Regime escalating tensions' -
Some analysts had earlier warned that the situation could escalate.
"We can already see for a few days that the regime is trying to escalate tensions," said political analyst Srdjan Cvijic.
"It is creating a Potemkin village of support in front of the presidency with pro-government demonstrators who are paid."
Government-backed media have broadcast increasingly inflammatory accusations, saying the students are planning to launch a "coup", with Vucic accusing the demonstrators of organising "large-scale violence".
