What began as a mourning march organized after two armed attacks in early May in Serbia that left around 18 people dead looks set to become a large-scale movement against the rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, who is mobilizing supporters and calling for a “people’s assembly”. AFP reports.

In front of angry crowds who march in Belgrade every week, the conservative leader of the Balkan nation of 6.6 million people announced that he would hold “the biggest rally in the history of Serbia” on Friday.

Demonstrations under the slogan “Serbia against violence”, organized by several opposition parties, gather tens of thousands of people.

The last time Serbs marched so en masse was during the 2000 demonstrations that led to the fall of Belgrade’s then-leader Slobodan Milosevic.

The movement appears to be drawing its strength from pent-up anger against Vučić, who has ruled the country for a decade. Protesters accuse the government and its controlled media of cultivating a “culture of violence.”

Two armed attacks took place in early May in less than 48 hours: first at a school in Belgrade, where nine students and a guard were killed by a 13-year-old student, then in two villages near Belgrade, where a young man killed eight people. These events deeply shook the country.

“Everything is so bad in our society that it’s scary,” 70-year-old pensioner Slobodan Markovic told AFP at a previous meeting.

Days after these massacres, demonstrators took to the streets to protest violent content in pro-government media and demand the resignation of the interior minister and intelligence chief.

Tense atmosphere

From the beginning, the head of state accused the opposition of “abusing” the situation “for political purposes”, which caused the indignation of the demonstrators. Long accused by the opposition of “authoritarianism”, Aleksandar Vucic compared opposition leaders to “vultures” and “hyenas” who, in his opinion, are trying to exploit the tragedy.

A busy weekend is expected in Belgrade, with thousands of supporters of President Vučić from across Serbia gathering in front of Belgrade’s parliament on Friday, followed by another opposition rally on Saturday.

“The authorities seem to live in a parallel reality. It seems that they do not see these people, do not hear their cries,” said Dobritsa Veselinovych, the leader of the left party, co-organizer of the demonstrations.

The opposition march, originally planned for Friday, was eventually moved to Saturday to avoid possible clashes.

Demonstrators also demand a nationwide ban on the broadcasting of two private TV channels, which they accuse of being a “mouthpiece” of the government.

The president is a regular guest on these television stations and does not hesitate to use aggressive language against his opponents.

Since the beginning of the demonstrations, these media have tried to play down their importance, broadcasting fake photos, calling the demonstrators “scumbags” and spreading conspiracy theories, accusing foreign powers of being behind the movement.

Hope

“Eastern special services tell us that these are attempts at color revolutions,” Vucic said.

These messages often find a receptive audience in rural areas, where residents, generally loyal to the president, trust those close to the media.

“A large part of Serbia doesn’t even know about the events that are happening in Belgrade,” explains Cedomir Čupić, a professor at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade.

According to him, the only claim of the protesters that can influence the ruling party is about the mass media.

“They can easily replace the Minister of Internal Affairs, even the entire government, it doesn’t matter. Mass media are the backbone of their power,” says Chedomir Chupich.

However, the protesters hope to maintain the momentum and continue despite the rising tensions.

“I thought there was no hope,” Bojana Vujovich told AFP.