In May 2023, a series of mass protests began in Belgrade and other locations in Serbia, following a school shooting in Belgrade and a spree shooting near Mladenovac and Smederevo. The protests, named Serbia Against Violence (Serbian Cyrillic: Србија против насиља, romanized: Srbija protiv nasilja), had been attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators on every protest since 8 May.
Despite being organised by the Democratic Party, Do not let Belgrade drown/Green–Left Front, Party of Freedom and Justice, People's Party and Together opposition parties, no party signs were reported to be seen at the protests. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Branko Ružić, Bratislav Gašić, Aleksandar Vulin, board members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media and Radio Television of Serbia, confiscation of national frequency of Pink and Happy television channels, cancelling the broadcast of reality programs that show and promote violence, and banning print media whose content publishes fake news, violates the Journalistic Code, and promotes violence.
Although not officially one of the demands, demonstrators have also called for president Aleksandar Vučić to resign. The government, including pro-government media, has criticised the protests and demonstrators, while as a response to the protests, Vučić held a gathering, described by critics as a counter-gathering, in front of the National Assembly of Serbia on 26 May. A number of farmers began protesting on 16 May, after the government rejected their demands to improve agricultural conditions. The government partially accepted their demands on 20 May, effectively ending the roadblocks.
Background
A populist coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power after the 2012 parliamentary election, along with the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS). A school shooting occurred on 3 May 2023 in the Vračar municipality of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, while a day later, a mass murder occurred in Dubona, Mladenovac and Malo Orašje, Smederevo. Serbia has one of the world's highest gun ownership rates per capita, but strict gun laws. Mass shootings in Serbia are rare. There had been three earlier mass shootings in Serbia in the 21st century: the 2007 Jabukovac killings, during which nine people were killed and five were injured; the 2013 Velika Ivanča shooting, in which 14 people were killed; and the 2016 Žitište shooting, in which five people were killed and 22 injured. In 2019, there was an attempted school shooting in Velika Plana, though the perpetrator was stopped after shooting two bullets into the ceiling.
The government of Serbia responded to the shootings by adopting measures such as stricter regulations on gun ownership and hiring 1,200 police officers to schools. The government also received criticism, particularly due to the statement of Branko Ružić, the minister of education, who said that "a cancerous, pernicious influence of the Internet, video games, and so-called Western values, is evident" in the shooting, and prime minister Ana Brnabić, who said that the "system did not fail" when responding to the claims that the government could have stopped the shootings. In response to the statement, opposition parties either called for Ružić's dismissal or resignation, and condemned Brnabić's statement. Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serbia, has said that the government was not at fault.
Serbia Against Violence protests
8 May
At a press conference inside the House of the National Assembly of Serbia, opposition parties People's Party, Do not let Belgrade drown, Together, Democratic Party, and the Party of Freedom and Justice-led Ujedinjeni parliamentary group announced that they would organise a "Serbia Against Violence" protest in front of the National Assembly on 8 May. The parties announced the demands at the conference, which included halting and cancelling the broadcast of reality programs and shows that promote violence on television with a national frequency, banning print media whose content promotes violence, publishes fake news, and violates the Journalistic Code, confiscating the national frequency of Pink and Happy television channels, demanding the resignation of the board members of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) and Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) and ministers Ružić and Bratislav Gašić, and the head of the Security Intelligence Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, and holding a session in the National Assembly with only one item on the agenda where the government's responsibility and the security of the country would be discussed.
A day before the protest, Ružić submitted his resignation. The Independent Union of Educators of Serbia organised a protest at 13:00 pm (UTC+02:00), while the Serbia Against Violence protest began later that day. After gathering in front of the National Assembly, demonstrators walked through Andrićev Venac and towards the building of the government of Serbia. Besides a teacher who told the demands to the demonstrators, no public speeches were held at the protest. Some demonstrators also chanted slogans against Vučić.
Srđan Milivojević, a Democratic Party member of parliament, said that according to police estimates, approximately 50,000 demonstrators participated in the protest. In response, Vučić, alleged that only 9,000 demonstrators took part in the protest. A protest was also organised in Kragujevac, Kruševac, Novi Sad, Valjevo, and Zrenjanin. In Novi Sad, there were about 4,000 demonstrators.
10–13 May
A protest was held in Niš on 10 May, while a day later, a second protest in Novi Sad was held. Following the 8 May protest, the organisers in Belgrade announced that a protest will be organised for 12 May if the demands were not to be accepted. Radomir Lazović, the Do not let Belgrade drown representative, announced that the demand to hold a session in the National Assembly on the issue regarding the shootings was accepted on 12 May. The session began on 18 May. During the session on 19 May, Brnabić alleged that "everything that has happened after the shootings is directly fueled by foreign intelligence services", and called Miroslav Aleksić, an opposition member of parliament, a "disgusting piece of shit".
Demonstrators gathered in front of the National Assembly, after which they walked through Kneza Miloša Street and towards the Gazela Bridge, which they blocked. The Gazela Bridge was closed for traffic for two hours, while the protest ended near Sava Centar, New Belgrade. Associated Press reported that demonstrators chanted slogans against Vučić "whom they blame for creating an atmosphere of hopelessness and division in the country that they say indirectly led to the mass shootings". Throughout the protest, no party signs were reported to be seen.
The protest was reportedly attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators, with Balkan Insight reporting that the "column of demonstrators stretched out for 1.7 kilometres through the city streets". A day after the protest in Belgrade, a protest was organised in Kragujevac.
19 May
The third Serbia Against Violence protest was held on 19 May in Belgrade. Initially, the farmers were supposed to attend the Serbia Against Violence protest, though the police allegedly denied them to continue going to Belgrade. After gathering in front of the National Assembly, demonstrators walked through Kneza Miloša Street and towards the Gazela Bridge and Branko's Bridge, which were all eventually roadblocked. This time, the column of demonstrators reportedly stretched out for more than 2.5 kilometres.
According to the lawyer and former minister Božo Prelević, approximately 200,000 demonstrators were present at the protest, while according to the organisers, between 200,000 and 300,000 demonstrators attended the protest. Dušan Čavić, one of the authors of show "Marka Žvaka", said that around 60,000 demonstrators attended the protest. According to Aleksandar Gubaš, a journalist who has dealt with various methods of measuring the number of people at public gatherings since 1991, there were approximately 60,000 demonstrators at the protest. News agencies described the protest "as the largest protest since the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević", and reported that tens of thousands attended the protest.
Milivojević and Nebojša Zelenović, one of the co-leaders of the Together party, said they would continue blocking the Gazela Bridge "until all demands are to be accepted". Soon after, demonstrators began setting up tents. The protest ended around 6:00 am, after which the traffic at Gazela Bridge resumed. Savo Manojlović, the representative of the Kreni-Promeni organisation, and two women were attacked and harassed by a member of the far-right People's Patrol organisation.
27 May
Serbs in diaspora announced they would organise meetings supporting the Serbia Against Violence protests in London and Vienna on 26 May. The fourth Serbia Against Violence protest was held on 27 May, a day after Vučić's gathering in front of the National Assembly. During the protest, the demonstrators walked around Tašmajdan Park and towards the building of Radio Television of Serbia, where they formed a "ring" around the building. Radio Television of Serbia broadcast the protests live when demonstrators came to its building. A group of provocateurs attempted to break into the building, but were stopped by demonstrators and organisers of the Serbia Against Violence protest. The organisers condemned the provocateurs. The protest was attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators, despite bad weather conditions. Aleksić has alleged that the government sent the provocateurs to "provoke conflicts".
3 June
The organisers met with the head of the Belgrade Police on 31 May, who promised that the police would secure the protests from potential provocateurs. Initially, the next Serbia Against Violence protest was supposed to be held on 2 June, but due to the announcement that a protest named "Stop the Violence on Serbs from Kosovo" would be held shortly before the Serbia Against Violence protest, it was moved to 3 June. At the protest, actors Svetlana Bojković, Dragan Bjelogrlić, Nenad Maričić, comedians and talk-show hosts Zoran Kesić and Ivan Ivanović, the son of Stanika Gligorijević, whose death at a toll booth remains unsolved, and a miner, who was beaten for refusing to sell his land, gave speeches at the beginning of the protest.
The demonstrators then walked through the King Alexander Boulevard and towards Slavija Square, and then to the Novi dvor, the seat of the president of Serbia. Although not one of the demands, demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Vučić leave" and unfurled a balloon with the inscription "Vučić Go Away". Far-right groups, including People's Patrol, were present at the protest where they caused two physical incidents. The protest was attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators. According to Gubaš there were approximately 55,000 demonstrators during the protest.
9 June
For the sixth Serbia Against Violence protest, demonstrators again gathered in front of the National Assembly. Actors Maričić, Seka Sablić, and Milan Marić, Saša Jovanović, a colleague of major aviator Omer Mehić who died in a helicopter crash in 2015 which garnered controversy, Faculty of Law professor Miodrag Jovanović, a Serbian language professor, a gymnasium teacher, and a Faculty of Philology student gave speeches at the protest. Maričić stated that the protests would begin to radicalise if the government does not accept the demands by 18 June. Activist Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta later clarified that roadblocks would be organised "at all bridges and major roads across Serbia", if the demands were not to be accepted by 15 June.
Demonstrators then walked towards Slavija Square and the building of the government of Serbia. Approximately tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in the protest. According to Gubaš, between 35,000 and 40,000 were present at the protest. A group of demonstrators also carried cardboard figures, depicting Vučić, Brnabić, Dragan J. Vučićević, the editor-in-chief of pro-government newspaper Informer, Željko Mitrović, a media magnate and the owner of the Pink Media Group, and Olivera Zekić, the president of REM, in prison suits.
14–17 June
Serbia Against Violence protests were also organised in Gornji Milanovac on 14 June, and in Valjevo and Kraljevo on 15 June. On 17 June, protests were also held in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac.
In Belgrade, demonstrators again gathered in front of the National Assembly, after which they walked through the Knez Miloša street and towards the Mostar interchange. Some demonstrators also walked towards the Autokomanda interchange and Gazela Bridge. In front of the National Assembly, sports commentator Smiljan Banjac, a miner, a Faculty of Political Sciences student, and a football worker gave speeches. This time, a group of demonstrators carried cardboard figures of Vučić, Vulin, Gašić, Aleksandar Šapić, the mayor of Belgrade, and Zagorka Dolovac, the Republic Public Prosecutor, in prison suits.