FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Tens of thousands of people from across Serbia have joined an anti-corruption rally in Belgrade, in what is being seen as the culmination of months of protests that have shaken the grip of the country's autocratic president, Aleksandar Vucic.
The sounds of whistles and vuvuzelas echoed throughout the Serbian capital, which has been on high alert since the rally was announced. Some held banners reading "He's finished!"
The anti-government rally is likely to be the largest ever held in the Balkan country.
One protester, Milenko Kovacevic, said: "I expect this to shake his authority and for Vucic to realize that the people are no longer for him."
Police said they had arrested a man who crashed his car into protesters in a Belgrade suburb, injuring three people.
Tensions were rising ahead of the demonstration, as supporters of the president began setting up camp in a park in front of the presidential palace. Vucic warned earlier this week that security forces would use force against people at the rally.
Belgrade's city transport was cancelled on Saturday in an apparent attempt to prevent people from attending the rally, as large convoys of cars blocked roads leading into the capital. The transport company said the move was made "for security reasons".
Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics since becoming prime minister in 2014 and then president in 2017, said the demonstrators would never force him to step down. “You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,” he said.
Authorities have faced near-daily protests since last November, when a station roof collapsed, killing 14 people in Novi Sad, Serbia's second city. Many blamed rampant corruption for the disaster at the station, which Vucic had inaugurated in 2022 after renovations. / The Guardian
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