Several dozen supporters of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić gathered outside the Savski Venac police station in Belgrade on Tuesday evening in what Vukša Dragović, founder of the association “Serbian Sovereigntists,” described as their first street blockade.
The turnout, reported by the Beta news agency, came after Dragović called on supporters through social media to demonstrate over what he described as attacks on pro-government television channel Informer. Videos shared on social media showed traffic being halted in Savska Street during the gathering.
Last week, Dragović appeared on Informer and announced that his supporters would take to the streets and block roads whenever they disagreed with decisions made by the new authorities.
He said the first blockade would take place in Savska Street, where he intended to issue an ultimatum to the police and prosecutors to ensure public safety. Otherwise, he threatened, the group would approach the military and ask it to take control of the country.
Following Tuesday’s gathering, Dragović told Informer: “We have done something significant today. We managed to free the people from fear.”
Rally planned outside media regulator
Dragović called on supporters to gather again on Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. outside the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) at Nikola Pašić Square in Belgrade.
A session of the REM Council is scheduled for 11 a.m. According to the newspaper Danas, the council is expected to discuss initial measures against Informer.
Acting Serbian President Ana Brnabić has also called for a gathering outside the regulator, claiming that the television station’s ability to broadcast is under threat.
The demonstrations come amid a dispute over Informer’s broadcasting activities and growing political tensions surrounding the media regulator’s response.
