Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic today condemned the student blockade of the Serbian national television station RTS and called on the competent authorities to take measures to restore public order and peace, the Serbian edition of Radio Free Europe reported.
"I ask them, as far as possible, to do it without the use of force. When force is needed, it should be as minimal as possible to resolve the issue," Vucic said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
He accused the students and citizens who supported them in blocking RTS of trying to violently destroy the state and its foundations on "the most sacred Christian holiday and Orthodox holiday".
"Some people still mistreat those who think differently today. They are deprived of the right to work and freedom of movement, they are even deprived of food. They are forbidden to broadcast their program. Whatever I think about this program, it is terrible and the messages that are sent to the people who work at RTS are terrifying," Vucic said.
The blockade began on the evening of April 14. The entrances to RTS in the center of Belgrade are blocked, as well as the studios located in the "Košutnjak" park, BTA specifies.
The protest will continue, as the students announced, until a new competition for members of the electronic media regulator REM is announced or until RTS stops working.
A wave of protests led by students swept Serbia after the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad train station on November 1, which killed 16 people. As part of the protest actions, students are blocking about 60 faculties in the country. According to the protesters, the tragedy was caused by corrupt practices that led to poor-quality repairs to the station. They want political and criminal responsibility for what happened, insist on fighting corruption, and that institutions work without political pressure and influence.
The National Television is adapting its programming schedule for the period during which the blockade lasts, and its management has repeatedly called for the blockade to be ended. The media outlet notes that it is operating in the most difficult conditions ever.
This is the first blockade of the national television. In recent months, students have repeatedly organized protests in front of RTS with a request for objective information about their demands and actions.