Tens of thousands marched through Belgrade on Friday in an anti-government protest following two mass shootings that killed 18 people, blaming the deaths on a culture of violence that critics say authorities have allowed to fester unchecked.
On May 3 a teenage boy killed nine pupils and a security guard in the first school mass shooting in Serbia, and a day later a 21-year-old man killed eight outside Belgrade.
Opposition parties, which organised the demonstration, say the government led by President Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has failed to rein in media that have promoted violence and to act against criminal elements in society.
Recent Serbian reality TV shows have featured convicted criminals including murderers and shown men beating up women.
Protesters called on Vucic, Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic and the head of Serbia’s security agency to resign.
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Article URL : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/tens-thousands-gather-belgrade-protest-over-mass-shootings-2023-05-19