Protest participants expelled by police after entering RTS building

During the citizen protests dubbed “1 of 5 million”, which have been continuing for more than three and a half months, a section of protestors managed to breach building security and enter the Belgrade offices and studio of national public broadcaster Radio-Television Serbia. Leaders of opposition parties, who also entered the building, demanded that RTS allow them to address citizens over the airwaves.

Foto: Aleksandar Milanović

Police quickly ejected the demonstrators from RTS’s premises, with witnesses claiming that the police struck some of the protestors violently while removing them from the building, despite the protesters having acted peacefully.

Responding to the event, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that he will not permit violence, while Prime Minister Ana Brnabić dubbed this form of protest an act of vandalism.

Dragan Đilas, a former Belgrade mayor who’s currently among the opposition leaders, said that entering the RTS building had not been planned, but that the RTS director must be held criminally responsible.

Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović insisted that the police reacted in a peaceful manner, while the Interior Ministry announced that several people had been arrested and detained, mainly school pupils and college