Anti-Government Protests in Serbia Over Flagship Project

Thousands protested in central Belgrade on Tuesday against Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s government and demanded a probe into a multi-billion euro riverside building project in the Serbian capital.

A yellow duck, a symbol of the movement “Let’s Not Let Belgrade Drown” opposing the project, was displayed under flags marking the area along the Sava river where the Dubai-style residential buildings, hotels and shopping mall will be built.

The protesters demand a probe into an incident last year when masked men carried out secretive nighttime demolitions to clear part of the site while public attention was distracted by a parliamentary election. Critics charged the government did not consult the public sufficiently.

“We are protesting because of government’s violence to its own legal system, and corruption. This is our attempt to fight for the rule of law,” Zoran Dimitrijevic, 44, an electronics engineer from Belgrade.

The 3 billion euro project, which government officials say should turn Belgrade into a regional tourism hub, will be developed by a joint venture formed by the Serbian government and the Dubai-based company Eagle Hills.

Source: Wire.in