Thousands of people gathered in front of the National Assembly in Belgrade on June 17 for the seventh in a series of anti-government rallies, again demanding action from the government and President Aleksandar Vucic.

The protests followed two mass shootings in early May, resulting in the deaths of 18 individuals. Among the victims were nine students from a Belgrade elementary school, tragically targeted by a 13-year-old classmate. The following day, an additional eight people were killed by a 21-year-old man in Mladenovac, just outside Belgrade, leading to widespread discontent and sparking protests.

This is the seventh time demonstrators have taken to the streets of Belgrade since the first rally on May 8. The protesters accuse the president and the ruling party of fostering a culture of violence through the media, and are asking for the dismantling of the responsible regulatory bodies, and a ban on reality shows and journalistic outlets that print fake news and promote violence.

Serious but upbeat 

As we reached the location for the gathering, we could tell something was a bit different this time. From the stage, instead of the tense and impassioned speakers that addressed the crowd on previous occasions, the voice of radio host Smiljan Banjac could be heard, trying to involve the crowd in some jovial banter: “Left side – Vucic, right side – leave! Come on!”

The atmosphere almost felt like a parade day, as the host kept a composed and upbeat tone, even though the messages he had for the government were deadly serious.  

“This is the last time we meet here. Next time we will have blockades in 10 more cities,” Banjac warned. 

June 17 was the first time that protests and blockades for the “Serbia against violence” movement happened outside of Belgrade – in the cities of Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Nis.  

Banjac once more read the list of demands from protesters.

When he called out for institutional responsibility in the form of resignations from Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and intelligence agency head Aleksandar Vulin, there was a shouting match to see who elicited more antipathy from the crowd. 

“Vulin won this time,” Banjac confirmed. 

Different voices 

Aside from Banjac, speakers from footballers to miners to students addressed the crowd. 

Nebojsa Stanojevic, a miner from Aleksinac, recalled a tragic incident when eight of his colleagues were sent down into the mining pit without the necessary equipment. 

“I have come to seek justice for friends and colleagues who were sent to the mine last year and did not return to their families." He went on to say: "Today, I am here to collectively declare that we will not accept a society devoid of accountability and consequences", to which there was a roar of agreement from the crowd.

Mirko Poledica, the president of the footballer’s syndicate of Serbia, said that sportsmen and women stand with the actors and actresses of Serbia, who were targeted for voicing their opinions during the course of the previous weeks. 

Pavle Cicvaric, a political science major, said that students won’t be kept quiet and that the streets are where the solutions are to be found. 

Near the end of the speeches, Banjac spoke again, repeating three times: “Either the violence stops, or Serbia will stop.”

As the crowd started moving, as if to conclude the broadcast, the radio host announced: “The end is at 9 pm.”

The route of the march was again towards the Mostar road loop, with protesters blocking the main international highway through the Serbian capital for hours. 

Young and old 

Among the crowd was Momir (70), who said this was his third time protesting. He was inspired, he said, by the number of young people that are showing up. “The atmosphere is decisive.” 

When asked by bne IntelliNews if he believes the protesters' terms will be met he answered: “You never know [if] he [Vucic] is up to anything… I doubt it.” 

He was positive about the number of people present and the lack of the usual buffed-up provocateurs: “They can’t do anything when there are this many people, there is no use." 

There was a minor incident on Kneza Milosa street when somebody threw a water bottle on the street, almost hitting one of the protesters on the head. The crowd gathered, calling on the assailant to step out on the balcony. After a slight commotion, a face appeared that seemed to belong more to a drowsy student than a malicious provocateur. The whistles that have always been a staple of Serbian protests had sold exceptionally well that day, and the blaring sound was perhaps too much for some of the residents of the street. 

Beyond that, there were no incidents reported. 

Of the usual protest paraphernalia, this time there was no sign of the 20-metre-long Serbian flag, but there were life-size models of Vucic, Gasic and the mayor of Belgrade, Aleksandar Sapic, trudging along with the protesters dressed in striped shirts and striped hats.  

Radicalisation is inevitable 

Radovan (35), a lawyer and political scientist, said that he has been protesting since the 1990s. He was just a boy when he was “tearing down the same regime”, Radovan added with a chuckle.

He believes that the radicalisation of the protest is inevitable. “There must be a D-day,” he said, “interpret it as you will, there must be a clash … That is how the institutional crisis is finally resolved.” 

When the protests reached the Mostar road loop, people dispersed in all directions.

There bne IntelliNews spoke to Nemanja (26), who is soon starting his Ph.D. in history. His banner called for spending on the police to be diverted into education. “That is where we are lacking,” Nemanja said. 

He criticised the opposition leaders who spoke at the rally. “I don’t believe the people on that stage … I don’t believe they are in control of the protests, even though they are trying to appear so,” he said. 

He added that he and his friends, like many others, are dissatisfied with the demands of the protests. “Higher demands need to be made if the protests are to keep their momentum.” 

When asked what demands should be made, Nemanja responded that this needs to be a moment when the workers bypass their syndicates and form broader-based solidarity. He was talking about a revolution. 

Asked about the unrest in northern Kosovo, and possible connections to the situation in Belgrade, he said he didn’t want to comment on a matter he is not fully aware of, but that nationalism has historically been used as a distraction. “Every time there is a serious societal issue, and we had plenty of those, some form of nationalism appears to muddy the waters.”

Momir had made a similar point when asked by bne IntelliNews to reflect on the situation in the north of Kosovo. Momir said he believed it is coordinated, as all Vucic's actions are. "I think I have him figured out," he said, "He's just a matchstick man, trying to divert attention from one thing to another.”

Protesting since the 1980s

Spomenka, a woman in her late 60s, was sitting on a road barrier at the side of the motorway, as the protestants walked in small groups from Gazela bridge towards Novi Beograd. 

She said she been protesting since 1986, and when asked about the protests of the 1990s she repeated what bne IntelliNews heard a couple of times during the day: “I have been protesting against the same group of people my entire life.”

Why this time, though? She said that she is frustrated by the propaganda. “This constant talk of progress, a ‘golden era’ and so forth is too much… it’s torture.” 

As the protest ended, a vehicle with flashing lights blazed at significant speed down the middle of the road.

“Oh, they do this every time,” Spomenka said, referring to the well-known tactic of the Serbian police to dampen the morale of demonstrators with an ambulance rushing to a false emergency. 

In five minutes' time, cars appeared on the road, while protestors scuffled through the intersection, trying not to get caught off-guard.

Saying her farewells, Spomenka walked on towards her bus stop, which seemed to be operating again, and the show ended at 9 pm, just as the radio host had predicted.