Female students mark International Women's day by leading protests in Serbia against corruption

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Female students connected Saturday marked International Women's Day successful Serbia by starring the regular thoroughfare protests against corruption and sending a connection decrying widespread unit against women successful the Balkan country.

University students successful Serbia are down astir regular rallies that started aft a factual canopy crashed down successful November astatine a railway presumption successful the bluish metropolis of Novi Sad, sidesplitting 15 people.

Many successful Serbia judge that the immense factual construction fell down due to the fact that of mediocre renovation enactment fueled by authorities corruption. Street demonstrations person go a situation to the populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

The students carried a banner reading: “Women successful beforehand rows," heading the marching file that passed done cardinal streets successful Belgrade and by the gathering hosting the authorities prosecutor's office.

The protesters held 19 minutes of silence, alternatively of the 15 held usually for the 15 victims of the canopy crash. The further 4 minutes were dedicated to the 4 women killed successful home unit successful Serbia this year.

”I americium present to enactment each women astir the world, each mothers and fighters, and students of course," said Slavica Djajic, a nonmigratory of Belgrade.

The protesting assemblage students person insisted connected afloat accountability successful the canopy fall, a telephone that has garnered wide enactment among citizens who are mostly disillusioned with politicians and person mislaid spot successful authorities institutions.

Student-led rallies person drawn tens of thousands of people, becoming among the biggest ever successful Serbia which has a agelong past of anti-government protests. Vucic has described the rallies arsenic a Western-orchestrated ploy to oust him from power.

The adjacent big rally is planned connected March 15 successful Belgrade and Vucic alleged that “they volition effort to execute thing with unit and that volition beryllium the end.” He added that “many (demonstrators) volition end up down bars accused of transgression acts.”

All student-led protests successful the past months person been peaceful, portion incidents were recorded erstwhile opponents drove their cars into protestation blockades oregon attacked the protesters.

The populist person and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party person held a steadfast grip connected powerfulness successful Serbia for implicit a decade, facing accusations of stifling antiauthoritarian freedoms contempt formally seeking European Union introduction for Serbia.

Authorities person indicted 16 people implicit the canopy collapse, but galore uncertainty that the existent culprits volition look justice.