Pro-government rally held in Serbia amid growing discontent

BELGRADE, Serbia — Tens of thousands of people converged on the Serbian capital Friday for a major rally in support of President Aleksandar Vucic, who is facing an unprecedented revolt against his autocratic rule amid the crisis triggered by two mass shootings that stunned the nation.

Addressing the raindrenched crowd, Vucic blasted the opposition for seeking his resignation for mishandling the crisis and creating divisions within the country. The two shootings early May left 18 people dead.

Referring to large anti government protests held in the past weeks, Vucic accused opposition politicians of “trying to abuse the tragedy.”

“The politicians will go down in history of dishonor because they abused the biggest tragedy in the history of our nation,” he said. “Those politicians deserve only contempt.”

But Vucic still invited the opposition to dialogue about their demands.

“All along they had just one desire, to topple me and topple the government of Serbia,” he said. “Those politicians weren’t even interested in children.”

Vucic reiterated he will step down as his Serbian Progressive Party’s leader on Saturday and announced plans to form a new, nation-wide movement that is to include politicians, prominent intellectuals, artists and others.

“I am not going anywhere,” he said. “We will defend Serbia together.”

The rally Friday was somewhat overshadowed by a new crisis in Serbia’s former province of Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs clashed with Kosovo police Friday and Vucic ordered Serbian troops to be put on a “higher state of alert.” Vucic also said that he ordered an “urgent” movement of Serbian troops to the border with Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.

Answering Vucic’s call for what he called “the largest rally in the history of Serbia,” his supporters, many wearing identical T-shirts with his portrait, were bused to Belgrade from all over the Balkan country as well as neighboring Kosovo and Bosnia.

The organizers said “hundreds of thousands” of participants attended the gathering in front of Serbia’s National Assembly amid rain and a thunderstorm that drove many to find a shelter.

Those working in state firms and institutions were told to take a day off to attend the rally in front of the parliament building. Some said they were warned they could lose their jobs if they didn’t show up on the buses, which started arriving hours before the gathering was to start.