Serbian students leading months of anti-government protests staged new demonstrations late Monday, April 14, targeting the buildings of a public broadcaster in two cities. Demonstrators blocked the entrances to Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) offices in Belgrade, an RTS studio in the capital and the offices of Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV) in Novi Sad. Police observed the protests but did not intervene.
The students accused the national broadcasters of ignoring their movement and the protests. "The public broadcaster is working against all of us," the students wrote on Instagram. They pitched tents outside RTS and RTV and vowed a prolonged blockade.
Protests started in November after the collapse of a renovated concrete roof at Novi Sad train station killed 16 people. Students have blockaded university faculties and held huge rallies. Public outrage over the disaster – widely seen as a symbol of deep-rooted corruption – has fuelled the largest wave of unrest in Serbia since the 1990s.
Protest gatherings have taken place almost daily, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants in major cities. The pressure on the government from the protests led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government.
In response, President Aleksandar Vucic has alternated between calls for dialogue and accusations that the students are attempting a "colour revolution."