The Serbian War Veterans' Association announced that it has organized "more than 500 veterans" for tomorrow's student protest in Belgrade who, it says, will carry plastic tie-down straps and "in accordance with the law" carry out "citizens' arrests of rioters."
In a statement, they invited all veterans of the wars of the 1990s to come to Belgrade on Saturday for a student protest.
"We have organized more than 500 veterans who will be evenly distributed throughout the protest, who will bring plastic tie-down straps with them. If there are provocateurs who carry anything in their hands that could endanger others or who throw stones at the police, citizens or any institution, we will react in accordance with the law by making a citizen's arrest and handing over the rioters to the police," the Serbian War Veterans' Association announced.
They called on "all those planning riots to abandon their plans so that the provocateurs they are collaborating with from the criminal milieu can start causing riots and thus try to tarnish the clean face of student protests."
"We know best what bloodshed is and what evil it is, so we hope that reason will prevail on all sides and that the rally on Saturday will proceed peacefully, like every other one so far," the war veterans said.
They announced that they will gather tomorrow from 12 a.m. to XNUMX p.m. in front of the monument with the observation tower from Kajmakčalan, in front of the Serbian Parliament, and that they will then "make themselves available to the student security service."
Students who have been blocking faculties in Serbia for three and a half months have scheduled a protest in front of the Serbian Parliament in Belgrade for March 15th.
The students in the blockade, among other things, are seeking criminal and political responsibility for the deaths of 15 people in the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad Railway Station on November 1, 2024. They were supported by some educators who suspended classes, lawyers, and some farmers and cultural workers.
Mass protests and blockades have so far been held in Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš.
Meanwhile, a group calling itself "Students 2.0" has emerged, camped out in Belgrade's Pionirski Park since March 6. They call themselves "students who want to learn" and are demanding an end to the blockades.
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