Demonstrators have announced they will maintain the blockade for at least 22 hours and mounted a similar action in the city of Novi Sad.
Background to the protests
Student-led rallies have rocked Serbia since November, when a collapsed roof canopy at a Novi Sad railway station killed 15 people.
Protesters blame government corruption and shoddy renovation work for the tragedy.
President Aleksandar Vučić has dismissed calls for accountability, while critics accuse his populist administration of stifling democratic freedoms.
Rising tensions and police violence
On Monday evening, riot police briefly used batons to disperse protesters trying to block an RTS entrance with metal barriers.
The demonstration intensified as Vučić appeared on the station’s main news broadcast, calling the planned nationwide rally this Saturday “futile” and threatening the use of force. “You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,” he said, adding he would not step down.
During the interview, a TV reporter referred to student demonstrators as “a mob,” which the president seemed to endorse. Earlier, Vučić had called an RTS journalist covering the protests “an imbecile,” later apologizing but labeling RTS reporters “a disgrace to their profession.”
RTS issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the blockade as “a dangerous step into open conflicts with unpredictable consequences,” claiming it prevented employees from reaching their offices.
Visit by Donald Trump Jr
In a surprise development, Vučić met with Donald Trump Jr on Tuesday. The purpose of the visit was not disclosed, but Vučić, a vocal supporter of the U.S. president, said the meeting was planned in advance.
Organizers say Saturday’s rally will be the climax of months of anti-government protests, which have drawn tens of thousands of participants—among the largest Serbia has seen in years.
Vučić, who has ruled alongside his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party for over a decade, argues the demonstrations are orchestrated by western interests seeking to topple him.
Student protests so far have been mostly peaceful, though minor incidents have been reported when opponents confronted demonstrators.
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Source: Associated Press, The Guardian