Serbian Protesters Maintain Pressure on Vucic, Govt

A column of people marched through the streets of Belgrade on Saturday evening in the fifth such protest against political violence in the country and putting more pressure on the government to fulfil their demands.

Carrying banners reading: "Your time will end" and chanting "Vucic thief", protesters walked again near or past all major official institutions, among them the public broadcaster, RTS, and parliament.

  Photo: Maja Zivanovic/BIRN

The organizers of "1 of 5 million" protests are pressuring President Aleksandar Vucic and the government led by his Serbian Progressive Party to resolve the murder one year ago of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic - and to punish those responsible for a November 23 incident, when opposition politician Borko Stefanovic was attacked in the southern Serbian town of Krusevac.

Despite the snow, thousands of protesters march through the centre of Belgrade tonight for the fifth anti-government rally in as many weeks.

With Orthodox Christmas on the horizon, protesters are holding branches for the holiday. pic.twitter.com/eow9R49ZKt

— Balkan Insight (@BalkanInsight) January 5, 2019

Among other demands are five minutes for protest representatives in the main news on the public broadcaster, RTS, and the regular presence of opposition politicians on RTS.

Protesters also demand an investigation into the attempted murder of Serbian website Zig Info journalist Milan Jovanovic whose home was torched in the Belgrade suburb of Vrcin on December 12.

Ralliers in the central Serbian city of Kragujevac are holding their own protest in support of the thousands demonstrating in Belgrade tonight against President Vucic. #1od5miliona #stopkrvavimkosuljama...