(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, MAR 13 - Tensions were rising in
Serbia days ahead of a mass anti-corruption protest as
ultranationalist backers of the government flocked to the
capital, sparking concerns of a confrontation between the rival
camps. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected in
Belgrade on Saturday, with farmers, teachers and other civilians
set to join the rally that is part of a movement targeting
deep-rooted corruption in the Balkan nation. The student-led
protests were ignited in the wake of the deadly collapse of a
railway station roof in the city of Novi Sad in November. The
anti-corruption movement has seen students organise rallies
across Serbia, with demonstrations bringing tens of thousands
onto the streets in major cities as participants criss-crossed
the country on foot in between protests. The tragedy sparked
long-smouldering anger over alleged corruption in President
Aleksandar Vucic's government and lax oversight with
construction projects. The protests have led to the resignation
of several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister.
While the movement has been peaceful to date, the gathering of
what appeared to be football hooligans, war veterans and other
ultranationalist supporters of the president in recent days in
Belgrade has prompted fears of clashes. Ahead of Saturday's
rally, Vucic has also taken to the airwaves with increasingly
inflammatory speeches, saying in one address that he expected
protesters to "organise large-scale violence". Vucic has
frequently been accused of using hooligans as enforcers to
create chaos on the streets during protests or attack rivals
outright. Despite weathering earlier protest movements, the
latest wave of unrest represents the strongest challenge yet to
Vucic's 12 years in power. - 'Criminals, thugs' - Camped in a
park in front of the president's office across from the
parliament, government supporters have been flanked by police
and barricades for days. Some have claimed to be distraught
students, pleading for an end to the blockades that have closed
university campuses across Serbia for months. Known
ultranationalists, including members of a former militia linked
to the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003,
have also been seen among the group. Vucic "has mobilised
criminals, thugs, and 'Red Beret' members, bringing people from
Kosovo and stationing them in Pionirski Park, knowing hundreds
of thousands will gather there on Saturday", Dragan Djilas,
leader of the opposition Freedom and Justice Party, posted on X.
Government supporters have already engaged in verbal spats with
passers-by as tensions have been building for days in the run-up
to this weekend's protest. Late Monday, police briefly clashed
with demonstrators who barricaded the entrance to state
broadcaster RTS, alleging unfavourable coverage of the
demonstrations. While last week, opposition lawmakers lit flares
and smoke canisters to show their support for the protests
during the opening day of the spring parliamentary session. The
government later said that several MPs were injured during the
melee. - 'Crisis' - But even as Vucic warned of a "final"
showdown on Saturday, student protesters said they would
continue to organise until their demands for greater
accountability were met. "Serbia has awakened, and we will not
allow it to fall asleep again," read one post by a student group
shared online. Dusan Spasojevic, a professor at the Belgrade
Faculty of Political Sciences, said the government's use of
provocative language ahead of Saturday's rally was likely an
attempt to discourage people from joining the demonstration.
Vucic is likely "hoping that protesters will spark some
violence, giving the police justification to intervene and
causing most people to withdraw from the protests", Spasojevic
said. To de-escalate tensions, Spasojevic suggested heeding to
growing calls for the formation of a transitional government
that could prepare the ground for elections in the coming
months. "Anything else would mean prolonging the crisis," he
said. During a conference in Belgrade this week, a group of
leading intellectuals sought to drum up support for the idea.
"If the authorities genuinely extend a sincere call for dialogue
with the part of society in revolt, that would be the only
legitimate way out of the crisis," said Miodrag Jovanovic, a
professor at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, told the
conference. Vucic, however, has rejected the idea, calling it an
attempt by the opposition to "seize power without elections".
(ANSA-AFP).
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