The Associated Press news agency reports on "huge" and "massive" citizens' marches u Belgrade and other cities of Serbia, as "a response to the call of the university and students to hold a general strike as part of the months-long battle against corruption in that Balkan country".
AP estimates that anti-corruption protests throughout Serbia have been going on for months and reminds that they started in November after the canopy at the train station in Novi Sad killed 15 people and created a mass movement against the populist government of the country's president, Aleksandar Vučić.
The American news agency states that "many shops, cafes and restaurants in Serbia were closed in support of universities and schools where classes have been suspended for more than three months" and that "smaller protests were held in several other cities and towns across the country calling for a general strike."
In Belgrade, as stated, "a huge procession of people went through the streets of the city center and passed by the government buildings (of Serbia)", and that the marching students said that their protest today was a "prelude" to the mass gathering planned for March 15 in Belgrade. It is recalled that similar gatherings were held in previous weeks in other cities.
Part of the Western conspiracy to oust Vučić from power
Vučić, as AP writes, is trying to downplay the importance of the protests, claiming that they are part of a Western conspiracy to oust him from power, and today "he discussed the alleged attempted revolution over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin."
AP writes that the President of Serbia wrote on Instagram that "Russia understands and clearly sees what is happening" and that "it will continue to support the legally and legitimately elected authorities in Serbia."
The American agency estimates that the persistent protests, which began in November, have become "the biggest challenge to Vučić in years."
AP also reports on "the counter-protest of a group of Provučić students who are camping in front of the president's headquarters, saying they want normal co-study to continue and demanding an end to the months-long blockade of Serbian universities."
"Their protest was most likely designed to diminish the scale of the students' anti-corruption actions," concludes AP.
Source: Beta
