Protesters block Serbian state TV building as tensions soar ahead of large rally
University students have staged almost daily rallies since a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station collapsed in November, killing 15 people.
Several hundred student protesters have blockaded the building of Serbia’s public television station in Belgrade as tensions in the Balkan country soar ahead of a planned large rally at the weekend billed as an endgame in months of anti-government demonstrations.
The students first blocked the RTS building in central Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, late on Monday and several hundred gathered again early on Tuesday, after announcing that their blockade will last for at least 22 hours.
University students in Serbia are behind almost daily rallies that started after a concrete canopy crashed down in November at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people.
During the blockade late on Monday, riot police briefly intervened with batons against the crowd, which tried to block one of the entrances to the TV building with metal security fences. At least one plain clothes officer was injured in skirmishes.
The students blame the public TV for biased reporting and siding with Mr Vucic and the government during the demonstrations.
The Serbian president was a guest on the main TV news bulletin on Monday evening, but it is not yet clear what exactly triggered the evening protest.
During the interview, Mr Vucic insulted the student-led protests, warning that security forces will use force against participants of the big rally planned for Saturday. He pledged never to step down because of the massive nationwide demonstrations.
“You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,” he said.
“Forcibly preventing RTS employees from coming to their workplaces represents a dangerous step into open conflicts with unpredictable consequences,” it said.
Some of the TV station’s employees apparently managed to enter the building through a side entrance which is not publicly known, allowing the programme to continue uninterrupted.
Many in Serbia believe the huge concrete construction fell down because of poor renovation work fuelled by government corruption.
The students have insisted on full accountability over the tragedy, a call that has garnered widespread support among citizens who are largely disillusioned with politicians and have lost trust in state institutions.
Student-led rallies have drawn tens of thousands of people, becoming among the biggest ever in Serbia, which has a long history of anti-government protests.
Mr Vucic has described the rallies as a Western-orchestrated ploy to oust him from power.
Many demonstrators “will end up behind bars accused of criminal acts”, he added.
All student-led protests in the past months have mostly been peaceful, although incidents have been recorded in which opponents drove their cars into protest blockades or attacked the demonstrators.
Mr Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have held a firm grip on power in Serbia for more than a decade, facing accusations of stifling democratic freedoms despite formally seeking European Union entry for Serbia.
Authorities have indicted 16 people over the canopy collapse, but many doubt that the actual culprits will face justice.
