Serbs in Belgrade to Hold ‘Solidarity with Bosnia’ Rally

Bosnian police face demonstrators during a protest in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 09 February 2014. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Serbs in the capital Belgrade will hold a rally in solidarity with the protesters in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday afternoon.

The rally is organized by the Facebook group "Support from Serbia to the People of Tuzla", Balkaninsight reports.

"The best solidarity we can offer is to organize ourselves and finally place on the agenda the issue of the two-decades-long long robbery of people's resources through wars and privatisations", the group's statement read.

The wave of anti-government protests in Bosnia began last Wednesday in the northern town of Tuzla. More than 130 people, including 104 police officers, were injured on the second day of the demonstrations, as protesters set fire to government buildings. The protests spread to many other cities, including the capital Sarajevo.

The trigger for the protests was the collapse of four formerly state-run companies that employed thousands of people in Tuzla.

On a larger scale, the protests are targeted at the high unemployment rate (nearly 40%) and rampant corruption, as well as the lack of economic and political progress.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic said on Sunday that he did not expect similar protests in Serbia, however the country's police union said it believed that similar demonstrations could erupt.

The demonstration in Belgrade is scheduled for 4 PM local time at the central Republic Square.