Protesters Demand Early Elections in Serbia

Fears that the rally, organised by opposition party Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, of Tomislav Nikolic, would clash with a rival protest held by football hooligans failed to materialise, after just a handful turned up.
Some 1,500 football fans had been expected to vent their fury at sentences handed down to their fellow supporters for the murder of a French man before a match in the Serbian capital in 2009. But the biggest opposition rally seen in Serbia in recent years ended without major incident, and police, which had deployed more than 4,000 officers, said they detained just 20 football fans who were chanting songs. The rally began at 12.30pm in downtown Belgrade with the Serbian national anthem Boze Pravde, God of Justice. Some 55,000 supporters of the SNS and several minor opposition parties joined forces to call for the government to initiate early elections within the next two months. SNS President Nikolic said he and his supporters would be back in April with a sit-down protest if the demand was not met. "If thugs [Serbian officials] continue to behave as before, you'll find me here in April," Nikolic said.

An attentive crowd waved Serbian flags and banners calling for a change of government, while some shouted “Down with Boris Tadic” and “Toma Nikolic for president”. SNS Vice President Aleksandar Vucic attacked the government’s economic policies. He said the SNS wanted to reduce the number of deputies in the Serbian parliament, abolish unnecessary state agencies and create a better environment for foreign investment. Velimir Ilic, leader of another opposition party, New Serbia, which took part in the rally, said the public was not interested in the EU questionnaire which Serbia filled out and presented to Brussels on Monday, a step in the country’s progress towards membership of the union. “We don't want the questionnaire, but jobs," Ilic told the crowd. Firecrackers were set off in the crowd as the rally ended, and organisers called on those present to peacefully disperse. SNS activists have pledged to tidy up the city centre as a symbol of how Serbia must be cleaned of corruption and crime. Central streets are expected to reopen for vehicles in coming hours.