The Serbian Parliament announced that for security reasons, the National Assembly buildings will be closed from today until Monday so that the announced rally on Saturday, March 15 in Belgrade, in front of the National Assembly Building, can proceed without incidents, the media reported this morning.
As reported by the media, the Serbian Parliament announced that, based on the security assessment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), and in order to avoid any space for potential provocations and conflicts, the Secretary General of the Parliament has decided that the House of the National Assembly - Trg Nikole Pašića 13 and the National Assembly Building - Ulica Kralja Milana 14, will be closed from today until midnight on March 16.
"This decision was made solely for security reasons so that we can do everything in our power to ensure that the announced rally on March 15th in Belgrade, in front of the National Assembly, takes place without any incidents," the decision, which was sent to MPs and employees of the assembly, states.
The students in the blockade announced that they would organize a protest at the Serbian Parliament on Saturday, March 15th, and called on citizens to join them, and several state officials announced that there would be clashes and violence in the streets that day.
In a show co-produced by pro-government media outlets - Happy TV, TV Prva, Infomer TV, Studio B and TV Pink - recordings were released last night, which Pink's website states were made in the premises of the Novi Sad board of the Free Citizens' Movement (PSG), and that the participants in the meeting were planning how to impose the idea of a transitional government in Belgrade on Saturday and provoke violence.
The PSG announced that the positions in the recordings, broadcast last night on pro-government television stations in Serbia, do not represent "neither the positions nor the plans of the PSG" and "least of all the attitude towards the student protests and their demands."
US Embassy issues security warning regarding protests in Belgrade
The US Embassy in Belgrade has issued a security warning for American citizens regarding tomorrow's protest that could gather hundreds of thousands of people in Belgrade, and urged them to avoid crowds and places of mass gathering.
"Large protest actions are expected in Belgrade, with the total number of participants potentially reaching hundreds of thousands. Protests could spread to much of downtown Belgrade, especially to areas near state institutions and the headquarters of the public broadcaster RTS," according to a notice for US citizens published on the embassy's website.
It is added that Serbian police expect large crowds, traffic jams, closure of public services and serious consequences for basic services, including emergency medical care, as well as possible disruptions in mobile telephony, while the government warns of possible violence.
The Russian Embassy in Serbia quoted a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, which stated, "Once again, we call for restraint from the political forces involved in the events that have gripped Serbia. It is important to be aware of how high the price of reckless steps dictated by momentary emotions that can be provoked can be."
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