Tens of thousands of people descended on Belgrade on Saturday, March 15, as part of a mass rally seen as a culmination of months-long protests against Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. Large crowds of flag-waving protesters converged after meeting up at several agreed-on protest venues in various parts of the capital, which was placed on high alert. All public transport was cancelled.
Ahead of the demonstration, Vucic repeatedly warned of alleged plans for unrest while threatening arrests and harsh sentences for any incidents.
A deafening sound of whistles, drums and vuvuzelas filled the air on Saturday. Some protesters carried banners that read, "He's Finished!" Crowds chanted "Pump it Up," a slogan adopted during the past four months of student-led protests.
The rally – which is expected to be the biggest anti-government protest ever held in the Balkan country – comes after more than four months of anti-corruption demonstrators that have posed the biggest challenge to Vucic's grip on power after 13 years in charge.
Protesting university students have led the nationwide anti-graft movement, which started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station and killed 15 people in Serbia's north on November 1. Many in Serbia blamed the crash on rampant government corruption, negligence and disrespect of construction safety regulations.
On Friday evening, tens of thousands of people staged a joyous welcome for the students who have been marching or cycling for days from across Serbia toward Belgrade. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told state RTS broadcaster that 13 people were detained overnight. He said police detained six opposition activists for allegedly plotting to stage a coup and stir unrest.
By Saturday morning people were assembling in various parts of the city as they marched toward the center. The entire downtown zone was flooded with people hours before the scheduled start of the gathering. Reflecting the tensions, police said they arrested a man who rammed his car into protesters in a Belgrade suburb, injuring three people. Hundreds of policemen were deployed inside and around government buildings and in front of the presidential palace.
The Belgrade authorities canceled all public transport, including intercity railway and bus links, in an apparent effort to prevent people from attending the rally. The transport company said the cancellation was made "for security reasons."
Several reporters from neighboring Croatia as well as Slovenia have been turned back from Serbia's border under the explanation that their presence at the rally "represents a security risk."
Vucic has rejected earlier proposals for a transitional government that would prepare an early election. Fueling fears of clashes, Vucic's supporters have been camping in central Belgrade in front of his headquarters. They include ex-members of a dreaded paramilitary unit involved in the assassination in 2003 of Serbia's first democratic Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, as well as football hooligans who are known for causing violence.
Vucic has been claiming that Western intelligence services were behind almost daily student-led protests with an aim to oust him from power. He has presented no evidence for the claims.
Students have struck a chord among the citizens who are disillusioned with politicians and have lost faith in the state institutions. Previous student-led rallies in other Serbian cities have been peaceful while drawing huge crowds.