Large Number of Niš Residents Protest Vučić’s Visit to the City

A large number of Niš residents gathered on Saturday morning to protest Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s visit to the city and a meeting of the main board of his Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS.

The protesters, who responded to a call from students, were stopped by police about 300 metres from the National Theatre. SNS leaders were meeting inside. Demonstrators blew whistles and vuvuzelas and chanted derogatory slogans against Vučić.

The crowd demanded permission to move closer to the theatre and voice its opposition. They referred to a statement Vučić made the previous day in which he “asked” police to allow his political opponents to approach him.

An inspector from the Niš Police Department told the demonstrators not to break through the cordon or disrupt the SNS gathering. He said they could not proceed because an event attended by several protected persons was taking place nearby.

The protesters then tried to reach the theatre by another route, but encountered a second police cordon at the roundabout at the end of Nikola Pašić Street. Riot police arrived soon afterward. At one point, protesters bypassed the cordon, prompting a race toward the National Theatre. Police moved in to block them, and Gendarmerie officers in riot gear later joined the operation. The protesters did not get closer to the building. After several hours of chanting and demonstrations, they dispersed at about 1:30 p.m., once the SNS main board meeting had ended.