DistantNews
Support us
🇷🇸 Serbia /Culture & Society

Police stop Niš protesters 300 meters from theater as they demand passage Vučić reportedly promised

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Police blocked students, residents and war veterans about 300 meters from Niš’s National Theater, where the Serbian Progressive Party’s main board was meeting.
  • Protesters demanded passage, saying Vučić had previously indicated that police would let them through, while chanting and criticizing the president.
  • Tensions rose after television presenters passed through the cordon and photographed protesters; bottles were thrown, and police warned of possible intervention.

A police cordon stopped students, residents and war veterans in Niš about 300 meters from the National Theater, where the Serbian Progressive Party’s main board was holding a meeting. The demonstrators oppose Aleksandar Vučić’s visit to the city and demanded that officers let them pass, as they said the president had previously promised.

People are dissatisfied, they do not want to see him in this city because everything he has said is a lie. He has brought nothing good to this country. You can hear what people think of him.

· Unnamed Niš residentA resident explained why demonstrators opposed Vučić’s visit.

The crowd blew whistles and vuvuzelas and shouted insults at Vučić. One woman said residents were unhappy and did not want to see him in Niš, accusing him of having lied and brought nothing good to the country. A young protester said they had come peacefully to express their views, but wanted Vučić to appear publicly if he was already in the city.

Another older resident said the situation had been tense since the 1990s, adding that not even a Russian Il-76 firefighting aircraft could extinguish it. Protesters also said presenters from Niš-based Informer TV were allowed through the cordon and photographed them, which they regarded as a provocation. Tensions followed, and bottles were thrown toward the presenters before police moved them away.

We came to see why they came; we have not even seen the president. Where is he supposed to appear? He is not welcome, but if he has already come, let him introduce himself to all of us.

· Unnamed young protesterA protester said the crowd wanted Vučić to appear publicly.

Police warned the demonstrators that an intervention was possible. A police inspector told them they could not move farther because protected persons were attending a nearby gathering and urged them not to break through the cordon. Opposition politician Zoran Živković stood with the crowd and stewards, trying to calm the situation and separate protesters from police.

If he said he was asking the police to let us through, then let them let us through. We will not do anything.

· Unnamed demonstratorA demonstrator invoked Vučić’s reported promise as protesters demanded passage.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog