Mass Displays of Discontent: Serbia Gripped by Anti-Violence Protest Again

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in front of the Serbian government building in Belgrade on Friday evening at the sixth of the weekly 'Serbia Against Violence' protests that were initially sparked by two mass shootings in May.

Some protesters arrived carrying cardboard figures dressed in prison suits, depicting President Aleksandar Vucic, PM Ana Brnabic, the owner of the pro-Government tabloid Informer, Dragan Vucicevic, the president of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, Olivera Zekic, and the owner of the pro-Government TV Pink, Zeljko Mitrovic.

Sixth protest "Serbia against violence" in Belgrade. Some protesters arrived carrying cardboard figures dressed in prison suits, depicting President Aleksandar Vucic, PM Ana Brnabic, the owner of the pro-Government tabloid Informer, Dragan Vucicevic, the president of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media, Olivera Zekic, and the owner of the pro-Government TV Pink, Zeljko Mitrovic. Photo: Isidora Kovacevic

The protesters had marched to the government building through the city centre after initially gathering in front of the National Assembly building.

Their main demands relate to the 'culture of violence' that they claim has thrived in the media and politics during Vucic's rule, and which they believe contributed to the two mass shootings that claimed the lives of 17 people in Serbia in May.

They are calling for the replacement of the governing council of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media and the dismissal of the heads of the Serbian Public Broadcasting Service, for print media and tabloid newspapers promoting hatred and violence and breaching journalistic ethics to be shut down, for the frequencies of the pro-government Pink and Happy TV stations...