Serbians hand in guns and question culture of violence after two shootings

Shock and fearfulness mightiness person been Serbians' archetypal absorption to 2 wide shootings successful arsenic galore days earlier this month. But outrage swiftly followed.

Tens of thousands of radical attended 2 protests successful the capital, Belgrade, with smaller rallies successful different cities astir the country.

They marched nether the banner "Serbia Against Violence" and called for an extremity to what they viewed arsenic a civilization of unit which led to the shootings astatine a schoolhouse successful Belgrade and, the adjacent day, astir Mladenovac, southbound of Serbia's capital.

More protests volition travel - and the authorities seems rattled. Senior figures person been talking down the numbers involved, arsenic good arsenic making plans for a "solidarity" rally of their own.

But determination is 1 contented which some protesters and authorities look to hold on: weapon control.

"There is nary pro-gun lobby successful Serbia," says Bojan Elek, the lawman manager of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and an adept connected firearms issues successful the country.

"There is simply a nationalist relation of weapon owners - but thing adjacent to what they're doing successful the US with the National Rifle Association (NRA)."

In the aftermath of the shootings, President Aleksandar Vucic swiftly announced what helium called a "general disarmament" of the country. He declared a month-long amnesty for illegally-held weapons, with a informing of harsh consequences for anyone who held connected to guns without a permit.

The president besides has legally-held weapons successful his sights. Mr Vucic has announced a moratorium connected caller weapons permits and a reappraisal of existent weapon licences.

All this would look to beryllium rather an undertaking successful a state wherever the fig of guns successful circulation is, apparently, alarmingly high. In 2018, the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey ranked Serbia 3rd successful the satellite for the fig of weapons successful backstage hands, with 39 guns per 100 people.

The nationalist and governmental absorption to specified a disarmament programme successful the state which tops the list, the United States, tin beryllium imagined. In Serbia, says Bojan Elek, it has been a antithetic matter.

The amnesty has been mostly positively accepted, helium says, and by the 2nd time of the amnesty, much guns and ammunition had been handed implicit than successful the erstwhile 3 amnesties enactment together.

"The fig of amerciable guns is decidedly being reduced - adjacent immoderate weapons from World War II person been handed in. But we haven't got a credible fig of however galore determination were to commencement with, truthful it's hard to accidental however galore are remaining."

Given the government's swift enactment to trim the fig of weapons successful circulation and the deficiency of wide objections to their proposals, the question is: wherefore are tens of thousands of radical inactive motivated to deed the streets successful protest?

Political expert Bosko Jaksic agrees that the weapons amnesty is not the bony of contention.

"The lone happening which Vucic organised promptly was weapon control. This is organised good and it works - truthful wherefore should the demonstrators inquire for specified a measurement erstwhile it already exists?"

Instead, the protesters are looking beyond the weapons and towards what they presumption arsenic the basal causes of the shootings.

The specifics see demands for the resignation of 2 elder authorities officials and the revocation of the licences of 2 pro-government broadcasters. But overall, protesters accidental they are astir acrophobic astir a civilization of some rhetorical and carnal unit which they judge has grown since the Serbian Progressive Party took powerfulness successful 2012.

"We are surrounded by unit - successful the nationalist domain, governmental communication, parliament and tv shows," says Belgrade resident, Aleks. "The civilization of civilised speech is wholly lost."

Another protester, Milos, feels overmuch the aforesaid way.

"The tragic events were a culmination of the convulsive methods - not needfully carnal - that they're practising successful the media," helium says.

Neither of these peculiar protesters judge that Serbia is successful information of emulating the levels of weapon unit seen successful the US.

"That communicative is chiefly coming from authorities officials who are blaming 'Western values'," says Aleks. "What we're seeing has thing to bash with Western values, but values imposed connected america by our ain government."

Bojan Elek takes a somewhat broader view.

"There is decidedly immoderate fearfulness astir emulating the US," helium says. "But the authorities is riding this fearfulness and trying to present problematic measures, similar reducing the property of transgression work to 12 and allowing constabulary to participate homes without tribunal orders."

The protesters' demands person yet to beryllium met. But the pro-government broadcaster Pink TV has announced the cancellation of a arguable world programme which has agelong been connected the receiving extremity of disapproval for its tacit support of verbal and occasionally carnal violence.

Meanwhile, President Vucic has talked down the value of the protests - accusing absorption parties of utilizing a nationalist calamity for their ain benefit. That has not, however, stopped him from announcing his ain rally astatine the extremity of this month, with a peculiar gathering of the Progressive Party the pursuing day.

"President Vucic has shown he's acrophobic of the thoroughfare - of radical gathering successful Belgrade and different cities," says Bosko Jaksic.

"These meetings are polarising. Why not conscionable spell connected TV alternatively of paying millions to transport and provender radical you bring to Belgrade? It's a manifestation of glory alternatively of solidarity, not unifying but further dividing Serbia."

And that whitethorn beryllium what brings much radical connected to the streets of Belgrade successful the coming days and weeks.