Two rallies are held in Serbia on the National Day, February 15. The first is the protest of students and citizens that started this morning at 9 o'clock in Kragujevac, and will last until midnight. The second is the rally of the progressives, which should start at 16:XNUMX p.m Sremska Mitrovica. The President of Serbia will also speak at it Aleksandar Vučić, and the so-called Declaration on Vojvodina will be adopted by acclamation.
Although the Serbian Progressive Party and its supporters had previously pompously announced their rallies, the day of the rally in Sremska Mitrovica dawned without fanfare and banners, without dramatic calls on social networks and without a major media campaign. This gathering, as it was rumoured, was first supposed to be held in Novi Sad, and then it was moved further south - to a city that is much smaller, just as close to Belgrade, and which is not burdened by the severe wounds from November 2024 that could frustrate the ceremony and make it tasteless.
So, the scene in Sremska Mitrovica is ready. A large number of citizens have already gathered in the center of this city, and the songs of Baja Mali Knindža are being played. The program of the meeting is not known, but traffic in the center should be stopped until 23 p.m., according to Blic. They also state that on Friday, citizens were informed to move their cars from public parking lots and streets near the "Pinky" hall, where the rally is being held.
Chanting for Vučić on the train
The media with a national frequency widely broadcast the preparations for the meeting in Sremska MItrovica. Several trains left Belgrade for that city this morning - Informer editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vučićević says that there are six, and the Serbian president talks about the number of eight trains.
The atmosphere in the carriages is cheerful. In addition to the mentioned duo, there are also several ministers, as well as the well-known "double" of the President of Serbia. In the carriage in which Vučić is present, people chanted and applauded him, while he said that he expected there to be 120 to 130 thousand people in Sremska Mitrovica.
"The number of people from Republika Srpska is small, but I thank them endlessly for coming. About 800-900 of them," added Vučić.
He also stated that there is currently a 12 kilometer long line of buses in front of Sremska Mitrovica.
Then the President of Serbia told the "boys and girls" on the train to sit down, because it is "shameful for him to sit" while they are standing, which was met with laughter and applause.
According to President Vučić's assessment, there are 16.000 people at the student protest in Kragujevac, including "everyone from Belgrade."
Organizational problems
Preparations for the rally in Sremska Mitrovica have been going on for days, but under the radar. On social networks these days it was said that SNS is having problems bringing people to this rally, and that many "demonstrators" are demanding a significantly higher daily wage this time.
On Friday evening, the JP "Roads of Serbia" union also issued a press release stating that the employees of that public company were exposed to pressure, blackmail and threats of dismissal because they "showed disobedience" and did not gather a sufficient number of people that the organizer set as a quota for the rally in Sremska Mitrovica.
The trade unionists pointed out that for days in that company "lists of employees who will go to the political rally are being made", and that it is "not surprising" because they have been "used to" such actions for years.
Protest in Mitrovica
The day before the rally in Sremska Mitrovica, the citizens of this city gathered for a protest walk in support of the students, "Vreme" wrote.
The protests from this city have already told Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and the Serbian Progressive Party that they are "not welcome".
"Di si posho, nisi dobrodošo" is one of the banners that could be seen on that occasion.
