Thousands take to the streets to protest violence in Serbia, Scotland, to decriminalize drugs for personal use

Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday evening in Belgrade and other Serbian cities against the violence in the Balkan country. It was the tenth consecutive protest after two killings in May that left 18 people dead.

The participants of the rally in Belgrade gathered in front of the parliament in the center of the capital. They marched to the Belgrade police station, a mile away, the media reported.

resignation requested

The participants in the meetings demanded the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic and the officials responsible for the security apparatus. They accused Vucic and the tabloid media he controlled of creating a climate of hatred and violence.

With the march to the Belgrade Police Command, they expressed their solidarity with police officers who had been involved in the discovery of a drug plantation near Belgrade. The owner is said to have been a business friend of Vucic’s brother.

Similar protests also took place in the cities of Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac and Valjevo. Left and liberal opposition parties and citizens’ movements had called for the rallies. Fewer people took part in Belgrade on Saturday than previous weekends. The organizers expected this and attributed it to the holiday season. They expect protests to gain momentum again in September.

(dsc/sda/dpa)