Thousands of protesters, mainly students, descended on Serbia's capital on Friday ahead of a planned weekend of massive anti-government rallies, many travelling hundreds of miles on foot or by bike.
President Aleksandar Vucic said he had asked police to show restraint, but to detain troublemakers. "The state ... will do everything to secure peace. Those who endanger peace will be arrested," he told a news conference.
Thousands of people cheered and waved Serbian flags as student columns started entering Belgrade city centre. Hundreds of bikers, parked near the parliament building, revved their engines in support. Cars honked as they drove by.
Supporters, including students from Belgrade, laid out a red carpet for the arriving protesters along the main Terazije boulevard.
"Belgraders, liberators have arrived," said Angelina, 19, a student from the northern city of Zrenjanin.
The rallies are expected to be the biggest in decades. Near daily student protests began in December following the deaths of 15 people when a roof at a railway station collapsed on November 1 in the northern city of Novi Sad, a disaster opponents blame on corruption under Vucic.
Authorities expect anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 protesters to arrive to the capital, Vucic said. Organisers say they expect many more.
Students, teachers, farmers, and workers have joined the demonstrations in a major challenge to Vucic, a populist, in power for 12 years as prime minister or president.
Throngs of Vucic loyalists have arrived in Belgrade this week to camp near his office in the centre of the city. They brought tractors overnight to surround their camp.
Earlier, outgoing Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said police would intervene in case of violence.
Last December, students issued a set of demands that included the release of documents related to the railway station disaster and accountability for those responsible.
Prosecutors have charged 13 people over the disaster, and the government has announced an anti-corruption campaign. Vucevic and two ministers have also resigned.
The United States and Israel have carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian leadership and military targets, with Iranian state media confirming t...
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting reta...
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the cle...
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in...
A number of senior Iranian figures have reportedly been killed in Saturday’s joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Iran, according to Irania...
Thousands of protesters marched through Belgrade on Wednesday night, nearly a year after a deadly station collapse sparked a nationwide anti-government movement.
Human rights groups have accused the Serbian government of using a sonic weapon to disperse a massive protest in Belgrade. However, the authorities have denied these claims, stating that their security forces did not deploy a sonic weapon to intimidate protesters at the anti-government rally.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Governments across the region responded swiftly to Israel’s strikes on Iran, closing airspace, issuing travel advisories and activating contingency plans amid fears of escalation.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 36 years and the country’s highest political and religious authority, has died aged 86 following joint Israeli and U.S. strikes on his compound in Tehran.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
Afghanistan said it had fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul after explosions and gunfire rocked the capital early on Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two neighbours.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Cuba has released extensive details of a deadly midweek shootout at sea, showing rifles, pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition that it says were carried by a group of exiles who attempted to enter the island by speedboat.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment