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Protests calling for resignation of Serbian president continue in Belgrade after mass shootings – JURIST

Thousands of protesters gathered in Belgrade on Friday in opposition to the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic. The peaceful demonstrators, whose action followed shortly after two mass shootings in the country, called for Vucic to resign by next week, threatening to turn to “radicalization” if this deadline was not met.During the demonstration, the “Serbia Against Violence” protesters chanted “Vucic out” while holding images of the President and Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, pictured in prison uniforms. The opposition has accused the President of nurturing a culture of tolerance towards violence in Serbia, as well as fueling hate speech against his opponents throughout his 11-year rule as President. Amid the recent anti-government demonstrations, President Vucic shared a message via social media that stated: “We are fighting for Serbia, we will have significant increases in salaries and pensions. It will never happen that someone takes power on the street or by violence.”This rally was the sixth to occur in Belgrade in the wake of two mass shootings in Serbia in early May. 18 people, including elementary school children, were killed and 20 injured during these shootings. As a result, Vucic issued multiple changes to gun policy in Serbia: police presence in Serbian schools was increased; a ban on new gun permits was passed; tougher penalties for illegal weapons possession were introduced; and an amnesty for the surrender of illegal weapons was issued. However, the Serbian public has taken to the streets to demand further changes. As well as the resignation of the populist President, and other top security officials, protesters in Belgrade demanded national broadcasting rights of pro-government TV stations that promote violence to be withdrawn. Further protests have been planned for next week.