Serbia: a rally in support of Vladimir Putin organized in Belgrade
In the crowd in Belgrade on Friday March 4, the Serbian and Russian flags, the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and the portraits of Putin rub shoulders with the white Z painted on the vehicles of the Russian army which attack Ukraine.
REUTERS-STR
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Three far-right organizations staged a demonstration in support of the war in Ukraine and Russia in the Serbian capital on Friday March 4.
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With our correspondent in Belgrade,
Laurent Rouy
Vladimir Putin's supporters met
at the foot of the statue of Tsar Nicolas II on Friday evening in the Serbian capital.
They were more than 2,000 to have moved at the call of two far-right organizations and an anti-migrant movement.
Leitmotif of the demonstrators: Serbs and Russians are brothers forever.
In the crowd, the Serbian and Russian flags, the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and the portraits of Putin rub shoulders with the barred signs of the sinister white Z painted on the vehicles of the Russian army which attack Ukraine.
The crowd is excited.
Among her, Dragan, in his forties, is delighted.
“
The Serbian people are with Russia,
” he explains.
There is no compromise, no bottom between two chairs.
The Russians and the Serbs have chosen their chair and it is the one at the right hand of God.
»
anti-nato slogans
The speakers follow one another.
We hear that Russia is in the process of eradicating the global threat posed by NATO or that Putin is the most courageous head of state in the world.
Leader of an anti-migrant movement, Damjan Knezevic addresses the crowd: “
This is a message for the BBC and CNN: Russophobia in Serbia is a statistical error.
»
While
the invasion of Ukraine
by Russian military forces has drawn unanimous condemnation in Europe, public Serbian media have in recent days defended President Putin's actions.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic officially condemned the invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations while refusing to impose sanctions on Moscow.
Russia controls Serbia's gas and oil industry and also has veto power in the UN Security Council that has prevented the formal recognition of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.
Protesters then marched to the Russian Embassy chanting their love for Putin.
The demonstration ended without incident.
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To read also: Headlines: the war in Ukraine affects the Balkans
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Vladimir Poutine