Students announce 24-hour blockade of Belgrade: Sociologist Vuletic believes the state will not allow it

Photo: Tanjug/Jadranka Ilic

A group of students announced that today at 12 noon they will start a blockade in front of the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government (Knez Milosa and Bircaninova intersection) in Belgrade. They said the blockade will last 24 hours, and invited people to bring tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food and water. They also stated that they will join ProGlas at the protest in Terazije Square during the day.

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However, sociologist Vladimir Vuletic believes that the state will not allow a 24-hour blockade of Belgrade, but added that the fact that it will not allow it does not mean that it will provoke greater violence with some reckless action because, in his opinion, one of the goals (of the protesters) is to use violence to provoke the police into use excessive force and thereby cause people to feel resentful.

"The whole art of governing is to somehow ensure relatively normal functioning of the city, without causing resentment on the other hand by doing it in a way that would be unacceptable to the citizens," he explained for Tanjug.

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

Commenting on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic saying that he will not allow the opposition gathered around the list "Serbia Against Violence" to steal the (electoral) will of the people, Vuletic said that it is clear that the list "Aleksandar Vucic - Serbia Must Not Stop" had a majority at the state level as well as and in Belgrade, and that it is not possible to change that.

According to him, the will of the people is being attacked with protests, and even some kind of violence, to undermine the government's current unwavering position, which, added Vuletic, is to form a new cabinet when this electoral process is over.

"It's very difficult to look at what is happening in Belgrade. That is why I think there are some other factors that motivate the opposition to call for protests. Their supporters need to be homogenized in some way so that they do not turn their backs on them for failing to achieve what they presented as their election goals," he said.

Vuletic believes that the opposition is trying to shift the blame for its unrealized goals onto someone else.

"What is a paradox here is that in a way, and in a certain sense, this also suits the ruling party. When you homogenize a part of your supporters, you automatically homogenize those who are not," he explained.

Although the holder of the list "We - Voice of the People" Branimir Nestorovic is firm in his position that his list will not join any coalition, Vuletic believes that Nestorovic is not the only one who decides.

"I think that even this group that could form a (local Belgrade) government with him has a say, which is the ruling party because, frankly, the question is whether such a move is something that would make it difficult for them to function in the future," he said.

Judging by the steps taken by the opposition and what he said was the irritating of the public, Vuletic believes that it would suit the ruling party, SNS, to go for new elections, when that party could perhaps have more councilors (in Belgrade form a government (alone).

(Telegraf.rs)