Student protests in the Serbian capital continue with a call for a blockade of Belgrade and a work stoppage at 7:00 local time, but as of 6:00 local time today there is no information about active blockades on the streets, writes the Serbian media "Blic".
Students organized blockades in front of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade earlier, calling at 7:00 this morning for all citizens to "stop work", in protest against their demands for early elections and against police repression in recent days. On July 2 and 3, police conducted identification checks on 1,297 people and arrested 79 protesters in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Novi Pazar.
Last night, more than 100 lawyers, military veterans and citizens gathered in front of the Faculty of Law, ready to assist with defense, and students organized legal aid groups in case of arrests. The police denied allegations that they entered the faculty with disproportionate force.
The rector of the University of Belgrade, Prof. Vladan Đokić, insisted that academic autonomy be preserved and condemned the use of force against students, warning that "peace and order are not established by beatings." A similar blockade effort is scheduled for today in several other cities across the country.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic posted a video on Instagram on Thursday evening urging the students organizing the blockade and the citizens who support them not to block Belgrade in the early morning hours.