Serbian prime minister resigns as popular protests persist
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NBC News
18 hours ago
- NBC News
Croatian right-wing singer Marko Perkovic and fans perform pro-Nazi salute at massive concert
A hugely popular right-wing Croatian singer and hundreds of thousands of his fans performed a pro-Nazi World War II salute at a massive concert in Zagreb, drawing criticism. One of Marko Perkovic's most popular songs, played in the late Saturday concert, starts with the dreaded 'For the homeland — Ready!' salute, used by Croatia's Nazi-era puppet Ustasha regime that ran concentration camps at the time. Perkovic, whose stage name is Thompson after a U.S.-made machine gun, had previously said both the song and the salute focus on the 1991-95 ethnic war in Croatia, in which he fought using the American firearm, after the country declared independence from the former Yugoslavia. He says his controversial song is 'a witness of an era.' The 1990s conflict erupted when rebel minority Serbs, backed by neighboring Serbia, took up guns, intending to split from Croatia and unite with Serbia. Perkovic's immense popularity in Croatia reflects prevailing nationalist sentiments in the country 30 years after the war ended. The WWII Ustasha troops in Croatia brutally killed tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and antifascist Croats in a string of concentration camps in the country. Despite documented atrocities, some nationalists still view the Ustasha regime leaders as founders of the independent Croatian state. Organizers said that half a million people attended Perkovic's concert in the Croatian capital. Video footage aired by Croatian media showed many fans displaying pro-Nazi salutes earlier in the day. The salute is punishable by law in Croatia, but courts have ruled Perkovic can use it as part of his song, the Croatian state television HRT said. Perkovic has been banned from performing in some European cities over frequent pro-Nazi references and displays at his gigs. Croatia's Vecernji List daily wrote that the concert's 'supreme organization' has been overshadowed by the use of the salute of a regime that signed off on 'mass executions of people.' Regional N1 television noted that whatever the modern interpretations of the salute may be its roots are 'undoubtedly' in the Ustasha regime era. N1 said that while 'Germans have made a clear cut' from anything Nazi-related 'to prevent crooked interpretations and the return to a dark past ... Croatia is nowhere near that in 2025.' In neighboring Serbia, populist President Aleksandar Vucic criticized Perkovic's concerts as a display 'of support for pro-Nazi values.' Former Serbian liberal leader Boris Tadic said it was a 'great shame for Croatia' and 'the European Union' because the concert 'glorifies the killing of members of one nation, in this case Serbian.' Croatia joined the EU in 2013. Croatian police said Perkovic's concert was the biggest ever in the country and an unseen security challenge, deploying thousands of officers.
Western Telegraph
7 days ago
- Western Telegraph
Serbian police remove barricades and make new arrests as protesters block roads
Demonstrators are demanding the release of dozens of university students and others arrested after a massive weekend rally, accused of attacking the police or plotting to overthrow the government. Police dismantled metal fences and moved garbage containers blocking traffic in Belgrade's Zemun district on Monday, while several dozen protesters raised their hands in the air and chanted anti-government slogans. Serbian gendarmerie officers prepare to remove a street blockade that was set up as part of a protest in Belgrade, Serbia (Darko Vojinovic/AP) Police also intervened separately in a city centre area. Protesters later changed tactics and continuously walked over a pedestrian crossing, thus blocking traffic again. The protests and blockades began after a train station canopy collapsed in November, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on corruption-fuelled negligence in state infrastructure projects. Thousands of demonstrators halted traffic at various locations in Belgrade and elsewhere throughout the country on Sunday evening, including a key bridge over the Sava River in the capital. Police removed those blockades early on Monday. Police said in a statement that a number of people were detained but did not specify how many. Video posted on social media showed police vehicles driving at high speed through a blockade in one Belgrade street and people fleeing in panic. Serbian gendarmerie officers stand in front of anti-government protesters in Belgrade, Serbia (Darko Vojinovic/AP) Mr Vucic praised police action in a statement during a visit to Spain, saying: 'Citizens should not worry, the state is strong enough to secure law and order.' On Saturday, tens of thousands of people demanded a snap parliamentary election at a student-led rally they hope will oust Mr Vucic's right-wing government. Groups of protesters clashed with police after the official part of the rally ended. Dozens were later detained. Mr Vucic has refused to call the election, which is scheduled to be held in 2027. University students and professors are a key force behind nearly eight months of almost daily protests and Mr Vucic has accused them of 'terror' and attempts to destroy the country. Riot police used batons, pepper spray and shields to charge at demonstrators who threw rocks and other objects at police cordons. Nearly 40 people face criminal charges over the clashes, police said. People react as Serbian gendarmerie officers remove a street blockade that was set up as part of a protest in Belgrade (Darko Vojinovic/AP) Authorities detained at least eight university students for alleged acts against the constitutional order and national security, accusing them of planning attacks on state institutions. Critics say Mr Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power over a decade ago, stifling democratic freedoms while allowing corruption and organised crime to flourish, which he has denied. Serbia is formally seeking entry to the European Union, but Mr Vucic's government has nourished relations with Russia and China.
ITV News
29-06-2025
- ITV News
Police clash with anti-government protesters in Serbia as thousands rally against president
Dozens of protesters were detained during clashes with riot police in Serbia on Saturday, as thousands demanded early parliamentary elections in a rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic. The protest was held after nearly eight months of dissent led by Serbia's university students and has been fuelled by allegations of corruption and negligence. As they filled the capital's central Slavija Square, the crowd chanted "we want elections!". Tensions were high before and during the gathering, with riot police deployed around government buildings and close to a camp of Vucic's loyalists in central Belgrade. Police said dozens of 'hooligans' were detained but did not provide the exact number. 'Elections are a clear way out of the social crisis caused by the deeds of the government, which is undoubtedly against the interests of their own people,' one of the students, who didn't give her name, said to the crowd. 'Today, on June 28, 2025, we declare the current authorities illegitimate.' At the end of the official part of the rally, students told the crowd to 'take freedom into your own hands.' University students have been a key force behind nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations that started after a renovated rail station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people in November. Many blamed the concrete roof crash on rampant government corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects, leading to recurring mass protests. 'We are here today because we cannot take it anymore,' student Darko Kovacevic said. 'This has been going on for too long. We are mired in corruption." Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly refused the demand for an early vote and accused protesters of planning to spur violence on orders from abroad, which they didn't specify or provide evidence of. Vucic's authorities have launched a crackdown on Serbia's striking universities and other opponents, while increasing pressure on independent media as they tried to curb the demonstrations. While numbers have shrunk in recent weeks, the massive showing for Saturday's anti-Vucic rally suggested that the resolve persists, despite relentless pressure and after nearly eight months of almost daily protests. Serbian police, which is firmly controlled by Vucic's government, said that 36,000 people were present at the start of the protest on Saturday. Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said participants in the protest attacked the police, and that police used their powers to restore public order. Saturday marked St. Vitus Day, a religious holiday and the date when Serbs mark a 14th-century battle against Ottoman Turks in Kosovo that was the start of hundreds of years of Turkish rule, holding symbolic importance. Vucic, a former extreme nationalist, has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power more than a decade ago. Though he formally says he wants Serbia to join the European Union, critics say Vucic has stifled democratic freedoms as he strengthened ties with Russia and China. Serbian presidential and parliamentary elections are due in 2027.
