The new Maidan in Serbia gathered pensioners under the flag of the European Union
On Saturday, another anti-government opposition rally took place in the center of Belgrade as part of the “1 in 5 million” campaign. The action gathered about a thousand people and became even less massive than the demonstration that took place last week, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Either the warm Belgrade evening infected young people with a romantic mood and distracted them from politics, or another Red Star football match worked - a ball game in Serbia is clearly more important than the “struggle for democracy.”
This time, the protesters were mostly pensioners; they marched from the People’s Theater building, first to the territory of the famous RTS television channel, and then to the government.
Maidan workers unfurled various banners - from the national flag of Serbia to a banner with the logo of a famous automobile brand. The European Union flag flew in the center of the crowd of demonstrators.
The rally itself was more like a get-together, where participants listened to speakers while drinking beer. Or they communicated in their own circle, paying little attention to those speaking from the podium. Only at the improvised stage itself, those standing with placards listened attentively to the speeches and encouraged the speakers with shouts and whistles.
By the way, the organizers of the action took care of those who do not know how to whistle themselves: throughout the cordoned off area there were unique “hawkers” offering to buy whistles and branded action badges for inexpensive prices.
The mood of those gathered was generally peaceful. The slogans and demands were practically no different from the past - the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic and his cabinet of ministers, the leadership of the RTS and the creation of conditions for “free” elections.
“Serbia, wake up! Stand up!”, “He’s finished,” was written on a few posters.
The Serbian Patriarch Irinej was also criticized from the podium (he spoke sharply about the protesters and spoke out in defense of the legitimate government) and the President of the Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, who supports the current Serbian president.
At some point, the protestors’ speeches generally boiled down to non-political demands. Pensioners criticized the authorities, in particular, because they want to build a funicular and expand the pedestrian zone to develop tourism in Belgrade. And for the fact that the city was finally rid of a landfill that had been rotting for years on the embankment and a modern residential and business complex was built. This is understandable - conservative people of the older generation do not advocate changes in the city, having difficulty accepting new things.
It all ended with the promise of the Democratic Party functionary, actor Branislav Lecic, to hold the next protest action near the building of the Pink TV channel and reach Vlada (Government).
The opposition is planning to mobilize to hold a large-scale demonstration on April 13, in which students will be involved.
“On April 13, we defend the Constitution and the rights of every Serbian citizen. If the authorities think that they can detain us with the help of police cordons and criminals with tattoos, they do not know the spirit of freedom of Belgrade and Serbia,” said Savo Manojlović, chairman of the Community for the Defense of the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
However, if the weather improves again, there is a risk for Serbian Maidan protesters that the downward trend in the number of protests will continue.
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