BELGRADE (Reuters) -More than 10,000 of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s supporters rallied in the capital Belgrade on Wednesday to back the populist’s policies after a year of anti-government protests.
Gathered in front of parliament, the Vucic supporters, many of whom travelled to the capital in buses organised by Vucic’s party, waved national flags and chanted “Vucic, the Serb” and “Serbia” as loudspeakers played patriotic songs.
“You are those who are defending peace, stability and the constitutional order,” parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, a top Vucic ally, told the crowd.
The rally was the biggest pro-government gathering so far this year with more than 10,000 participants, according to Reuters witnesses. But the crowd was outnumbered by a big anti-corruption demonstration on Saturday that drew tens of thousands of students and activists, the Reuters witnesses said.
The protests began a year ago after a railway station roof collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. The incident ignited public outrage over alleged corruption and a lack of accountability, compounded by the absence of prosecutions a year later.
Police in riot gear on Wednesday cordoned off the area around Vucic’s supporters to separate them from anti-government protesters who chanted slogans against Vucic.
A tent encampment controlled by Vucic supporters has been in place on the square since March and pro- and anti-government contingents clashed there last week.
Students, rights groups, academics and opposition members who want early elections accuse Vucic and his allies of corruption, violence against political opponents, media suppression and ties to organised crime. Vucic and his allies deny this.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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