Tensions in Serbia are rising, and students are not giving up their protests despite arrests and clashes with law enforcement. For another day, there are roadblocks in major cities in the country, and protesters have given an ultimatum to President Vucic and declared civil disobedience.
Belgrade is blocked, students are not giving up
According to Serbian media, over 80 roadblocks and a number of other protest actions were registered in just 24 hours. The case of a student who was beaten by masked security forces has further angered the protesters. At the same time, President Vucic continues to repeat that the protests were led from abroad. A number of media outlets in the country, which are considered close to him, also join in his tone. They suggest that the state authorities have full control over the situation, and that "a small group of terrorists" are taking to the streets, as Andrey Ivaniy summarizes in TAC.
But the real situation is different, say journalists and eyewitnesses - there are dozens of blockades on streets in Belgrade, and protesters are confronting law enforcement agencies who are trying to disperse them. Large parts of public transport are also blocked.
Next phase of mass discontent
Civil disobedience is the next phase of mass protests in Serbia, which have been going on for more than half a year. It all started with the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station - a tragic incident that has become a symbol of the country's corruption problems. The authorities' attempt to suppress the protests only further catalyzed the discontent of the people, led by students at major universities in Serbia.
"The government and President Vučić have categorically lost their legitimacy after the incident with the shed in Novi Sad and the mass protests in recent months. Last Sunday showed that the political crisis is far from being overcome," Kirsten Schönefeld from the Belgrade office of the German "Friedrich Ebert Foundation" told DW. Then tens of thousands took to the streets of Belgrade, leading to clashes with the police, counter-protesters and arrests after escalations.
"There is nothing more terrible for the regime than for citizens not to be afraid"
The students insist that their main demands are for an end to corrupt practices and autocratic methods of governance. They also want all those arrested during the protests to be released.
"It is crucial that the movement does not take a revisionist position regarding the wars of the 1990s and regional relations and focuses on its main demands - democracy and the fight against corruption", commented Schönefeld in this regard.
The autocracy in Serbia is shaking, writes Andrei Ivani in TAC. He quotes a twenty-year-old student who told him: "There is nothing more dangerous for an authoritarian regime than for citizens to stop fearing and mocking the autocrat."