BELGRADE (Reuters) – Thousands from towns in Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia arrived by buses on Saturday to attend a rally in Belgrade organised in support of President Aleksandar Vucic, whose grip on power has been threatened by months of anti-corruption protests.
Main streets were blocked for traffic, and stands with fast food and drinks were put up in front of the parliament.
The rally is seen as Vucic’s response to the big anti-government rally on March 15, when more than 100,000 people attended the biggest protest in decades.
Serbia has seen months of anti-government rallies after 16 deaths from a railway station roof collapse triggered accusations of widespread corruption and negligence.
The protests have swelled to include students, teachers and farmers in a major challenge to Vucic, a populist in power for 12 years as prime minister or president.
“The coloured revolution is over,” Vucic told throngs of his supporters in front of the parliament. “They can walk as much as they wish, but nothing will come out of that.”
The rally was meant also to promote a new movement led by Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) which is expected to include other parties from the ruling coalition that is yet to be officially inaugurated.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban addressed the rally via video link. “Serbian patriots can count on Hungarian patriots,” Orban said.
Tensions between Vucic’s supporters and anti-government protesters ran high on Saturday. In Novi Pazar, which is the administrative centre of Serbia’s Muslim majority region, anti-government activists tried to prevent buses with Vucic’s supporters from leaving the town.
In Belgrade, protesters tried to prevent buses from reaching the city centre and threw eggs at them, triggering police intervention.
(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; editing by Diane Craft)
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