World News | Tens of thousands march against Serbia’s populist leadership after mass shooting

BELGRADE, May 13 (AP) Tens of thousands of people marched through the Serbian capital Belgrade on Friday and blocked a key bridge since two mass shootings ravaged the Balkan country and left 17 dead. , which included the second mass protest since many children.

Commuters had to turn their vehicles around at night to avoid getting stuck as protesters gathered in front of the parliament building before passing government headquarters and a road bridge across the Sava River. At the head of the line was a black banner that read “Serbia Against Violence”.

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As demonstrators passed government buildings, many chanted slogans denouncing Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vučić, who they accuse of creating an atmosphere of despair and division in the country that they say indirectly contributed to the crisis. Mass shootings.

Nevena Matic, a Belgrade resident, said: “We are here to express some kind of rebellion against everything that is happening around us at the moment, but mainly the violence that has happened in the past… has been around us for years.” .

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Pro-government media criticized the bridge blockade, with the Novosti daily reporting that “harassment has begun and hooligans have blocked the bridge.”

But opposition politician Srdjan Milivojevic told television station N1, “It’s a fight for survival.” He said, “If the president doesn’t understand his people, he should resign.”

The police did not intervene. As night fell and crowds began to disperse, organizers promised more protests unless their demands were met.

Before the protest, Vucic, who has nearly every lever of power, said it amounted to “political violence” and “harassment” of citizens. But he said “police will not get involved unless people’s lives are in danger”.

“What gives them the right to stop other people from living a normal life?” Vucic said, accusing opposition leaders of “abuse of tragedy” in the wake of the shooting, which has deeply disturbed the country and sparked calls for change.

“They harass citizens and don’t allow them to travel,” Vucic insisted. “But we don’t like beating protesters like France and Germany.”

The rally came nearly a week after earlier protests in Belgrade that also drew thousands and saw demonstrations in smaller towns across the country. During that protest, demonstrators demanded the resignation of government ministers and the revocation of the broadcasting licenses of two private television stations with close ties to the state and advocating violence. They often host convicted war criminals and crime figures on their shows.

A total of 17 people were killed and 21 wounded in the two shooting incidents separated by two days. On May 3, a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his school in central Belgrade with his father’s gun. The next day, a 20-year-old man opened fire on people at random in a rural area south of the capital.

Opposition parties have accused Vucic’s populist government of promoting intolerance and hate speech while controlling all institutions. Vucic denied this. He has called his own rally in Belgrade on May 26, which he says will be “the biggest ever”.

“We don’t organize spontaneous rallies to play on people’s emotions,” Vucic insisted. “That’s when we will announce important political decisions and it will be a rally of unity.”

Vucic also told reporters that citizens have surrendered more than 9,000 weapons since the police announced a one-month amnesty for those who surrender unregistered firearms and ammunition, or face prison terms after that period.

Serbia is estimated to be one of the top countries in Europe in terms of the number of guns per capita, many of which are left over from wars in the 1990s. Other anti-gun measures in the wake of the shooting include a ban on new gun licenses, tighter controls on gun owners and shooting ranges, and tougher penalties for illegal possession of weapons. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)