Protesting students in Serbia rally outside pro-government media outlet and stage 'decontamination'

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied outside a pro-government television station in Serbia on Saturday accused of a propaganda campaign against university students behind months of anti-corruption protests rattling populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

Informer TV is among mainstream media outlets in Serbia loyal to Vucic and his right-wing government. Informer TV and tabloid newspaper have repeatedly branded student protesters as extremists during nearly five months of almost daily street demonstrations.

Protests have been peaceful, but pro-government media have accused organizers of fueling violence and seeking to overthrow the government under orders from abroad. They have provided no evidence to support those statements.

“For months now, ever since the blockades started, we have been their target, we have been constantly smeared in the media,” student Ivona Markovic said.

The protests started after a concrete canopy collapsed in November at a train station in northern Serbia, killing 16 people. The tragedy drew focus on rampant government corruption, triggering demands for accountability and political changes.

Protests have put pressure on an increasingly authoritarian Vucic, who is formally seeking European Union membership for Serbia but maintains close relations with Russia and China.

Vucic has promised a “counterrevolution” against the protests. Authorities have threatened legal action against university professors, including calls for the arrest of Vladan Djokic, the head dean at Belgrade University.

On Saturday, Vucic visited a camp of his loyalists outside the presidency building, including a group of pro-government university students. He said that “those who introduced anarchy” at the university would be held to account.

Student protests have drawn hundreds of thousands of people, striking a chord among citizens who have been largely disillusioned with politicians.

Wearing protective white suits, several students symbolically staged a “decontamination” performance outside the Informer TV building. A “wall of shame” displayed Informer's headlines about the protests in the past months, including one alleging protest plans for a “bloody coup."

Students also launched a petition to limit the television station's access to broadcasting frequencies. The protest dubbed “DisInformer” was set to last for six hours.

“This is a media war between Informer and students, between lies and truth, abuse of power and resistance,” the students said. “They (Informer) do not inform, they persecute.”

Informer on Saturday received support from top government officials, including the defense minister. The newspaper described the protest outside its building as a “hostage crisis.”

Informer is widely watched and read in Serbia, where independent media have faced limited visibility and where critical journalists have complained of pressure, hate campaigns and lawsuits.