This is probably the largest demonstration in the history of Serbia, a minute of silence, speeches and an unprecedented number of people clearly stating that citizens want a different Serbia, writes the German news agency dpa today about the mass gathering of students and citizens in Belgrade.
The agency writes that hundreds of thousands of people responded to the student movement's call for demonstrations on the 15th for the 15th. Drone footage taken by several Serbian media outlets showed that "long streets in the city center were packed with people."
People came to the gathering from all parts of Serbia, writes dpa, and students walked from various parts of the country, even 200 kilometers away, to the capital, where they were welcomed euphorically and with applause.
The agency explains that the protest motto 15 for 15 refers to the tragic accident in Novi Sad, in which 15 people died, and for which protest participants blame "government corruption, partly under authoritarian President Aleksandar Vučić."
"Vučić's critics accuse him of basing his rule on networks of corruption, limited media freedoms and manipulated elections. Control over the judiciary allows him to maintain a state of affairs that is contrary to the rule of law," dpa writes.
The agency, however, states that the participants in the demonstrations are not demanding the resignation of politicians, but rather the consistent implementation of the rule of law and the punishment of corrupt actors.
Dpa points out that in the past there have been occasional attacks on demonstrators, whether it was "government supporters with their cars, or thugs from the entourage of Vučić's ruling party" the Serbian Progressive Party.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) recalls that before the protests, the European Union and the UN called on the government in Belgrade to respect the right to protest and to avoid violence.
Student associations called on participants to demonstrate "peacefully and responsibly" via online media. "The aim of the movement is not to invade institutions or attack those who think differently from us," the organizers said, adding that "the movement must not be abused.
The newspaper reminds that President Aleksandar Vučić promised on Friday evening that "everything will be done to secure the demonstrations," but at the same time threatened that as president, "he will never allow the streets to dictate the rules" and that "he will not bow under pressure."
FAZ writes that on the eve of the large protest in Belgrade, government supporters gathered, "including ultranationalists, members of militant groups and people who are likely hooligans, who set up barricades not far from the parliament."
The Austrian news agency APA writes that among the regime supporters in Pioneer Park, "members of the notorious Red Berets special police and a group of suspected Kosovo Serbs for violence have recently appeared in the Student 2.0 camp - and these are Vučić loyalists, mostly older men, who call themselves 'students who want to study'."
APA writes that the fact that a large number of bags of construction rubble, concrete slabs and stones were seen in the city center on the eve of the protest also caused anxiety, and that observers feared that this could be used for street fighting and that the exceptionally peaceful protests could turn into chaos.
"At the beginning of Sunday, there was an incident in Belgrade when one police officer hit another police officer in the eye, but the regime attributed the act to students," writes Štandard.
The Austrian agency also reminds that the protests are not directly directed against President Vučić, "but primarily against the Vučić system, which is associated with corruption, clientelism, regime propaganda and institutional failure."
Bonus video:
