Thousands of Serbian anti government protesters converge on Belgrade for major rally

Thousands of Serbian students began to arrive in Belgrade on Friday evening in preparation for a major anti-government demonstration planned for Saturday.

Ahead of Saturday’s march, students from hundreds of villages and cities across the country joined forces, walking by foot to the capital, while onlookers watched and cheered.

The Serbian capital was on edge ahead of the major anti-government rally, with the authorities of President Aleksandar Vucic stepping up efforts to dissuade people from attending.

The rally is being seen as a test for Vucic’s government, which has been dealing with growing public dissatisfaction that has culminated in months of anti-graft protests in the Balkan nation.

On Friday, the UN Human Rights Office called for the demonstration to be peaceful and urged Serbian authorities to respect international law.

“The UN Human Rights Office reminds Serbia that it is bound by its obligations under international human rights law to protect and respect the full exercise of rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” Jeremy Laurence, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said.

While previous student-led rallies in other Serbian cities have been peaceful despite drawing huge crowds, President Vucic has repeatedly warned that violence is planned at the rally and threatened arrests over any incidents.

His supporters have been camping in the city centre, with tractors parked around a park outside the Serbian presidency building in Belgrade, fueling fears of potential clashes.

Local officials in the capital announced that the Parliament building across the street will be locked for the next three days due to security reasons.

The nationwide anti-graft movement in Serbia, which began more than four months ago when a concrete awning collapsed at a train station in the country’s north, killing fifteen people, is largely being driven by university students.

Vucic’s firm hold on power in Serbia has been shaken by nearly daily protests, and the movement for change is gaining traction.