【By Observer News, Liu Chenghui】On June 28 local time, a large-scale protest erupted in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, where protesters demanded the dissolution of the parliament and early elections, and clashed with the police. Serbian President Vučić vowed "to defend the country" earlier that day, reiterating that the protests were incited by "foreign forces" and warning activists not to resort to violence.

AFP reported that this protest was the largest in several months, coinciding with Serbia's St. Vitus Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 between the Turks and Serbs. Serbian police estimated the number of participants at 36,000, while an independent protest monitoring organization called "Archive of Public Gatherings" said the size of the protest crowd was approximately 140,000.

The report stated that, unlike previous peaceful gatherings, the protesters clashed with riot police this time. Police fired tear gas and flashbangs in several conflicts, while protesters threw flares at the police, and later, the police detained dozens of protesters.

President Vučić of Serbia, Reuters

Before the protest on June 28, organizers issued a "last ultimatum" to Vučić, demanding him to announce the election by 9 p.m. local time, but Vučić had already rejected the request before the deadline. Vučić has repeatedly stated that the protests are a conspiracy by foreign forces to destroy the local government.

Earlier that day, Vučić emphasized that "foreign forces" were behind the protests. He expected the demonstrators might take violent actions during the protest on the same evening demanding early parliamentary elections, although the police should maintain restraint, he warned that violence would not be tolerated.

He told reporters in Belgrade, "We will defend the country, and the hooligans will be brought to justice."

Vučić also emphasized on social media platform Instagram that the protesters were trying to overthrow the state. "They (protesters) want to overthrow Serbia, but they have failed," he said.

Police deployed a large number of riot police around government buildings, the parliament, and the nearby Pionirski Park. At the same time, a large number of Vučić supporters from all over the country also gathered there for counter-protests.

After the protest ended around 10 p.m., some protesters who did not want to leave began throwing bottles, stones, and flares at the police, and the police later used force to disperse them in multiple locations in the city center of Belgrade.

Dragan Vasiljević, head of the Serbian Police Directorate, said in a press conference held on the evening of June 28 that the police had arrested dozens of protesters, and six police officers were injured in the clashes.

Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić issued a statement saying that the police would take action to maintain public order. "The police will take all measures to restore public order and peace... and will exercise all their powers to counter attacks, arrest all attackers."

The day of the protest (June 28) is a highly symbolic day for Serbia. In the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and Ottoman Sultan Murad I were both killed. This event had a decisive impact on the formation of the Serbian national spirit and worldview. In 1914, on June 28, a Serbian student, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, an event that became the catalyst for World War I.

Into the 21st century, on June 28, 2001, the Belgrade authorities handed over former Yugoslav President Milosevic to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. This politician did not live to see the end of the trial, as he died of illness on March 11, 2006, at the age of 65.

Since the collapse of the train station roof last November, large-scale demonstrations have frequently broken out in Serbia. The Vučić government said that this tragedy cast a big shadow over the past year and the work of the government.

On January 28 this year, then-Serbian Prime Minister Vučević held a press conference and announced his resignation. Vučević explained, "I made this decision to avoid further complications, so that we would not further escalate social tensions."

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521236331540922914/

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