Interior Minister Ivica Dacic: This week, around a hundred peaceful gatherings against blockades to be held

Photo: MUP

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Sunday that there were more people at Saturday's protests against the blockades than several days prior, and that the organizer, the Center for Social Stability, announced that next week there will be even more such gatherings, about a hundred.

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"It's really a great pleasure and a rarity lately that the police can come out and say that everything ended peacefully. I think that a false image has been created that these blockaders and protesters are spreading, that the police can't wait to intervene. What kind of nonsense is that, every police officer dreams to go to work and that the day goes peacefully for them and heir family," Dacic told TV Prva.

He pointed out that from November last year until today, there had been more than 22,000 rallies in Serbia, 99 percent of which were not registered, as well as more than 12,000 road blockades.

"And now look at how much deployment of the police is needed for something like that. And how many interventions were at those gatherings in general. The police had to intervene only if someone attacked them or threatened the lives of other people. So this is really a refreshing thing, that the police had no need to intervene anywhere," Dacic said regarding the rallies held on Sunday.

He reminded that the organizer is the Center for Social Stability, which always informs the police about the places where the gatherings will take place.

He added that he himself was at the rally in Vrnjacka Bnja and that he also walked together with the people.

"According to police estimates, there were 1,900 people in Vrnjacka Banja, which is a small place. And I have to say that we walked through the city. There were no incidents, nor did anyone from who didin't participate oppose us or make any comments against us, and I think that this is beneficial and that it is healing. And it shows that there are also those who think differently, who perhaps were not visible enough because of an atmosphere of fear and hatred that appeared in our society. And this shows that, I am certain, the majority of Serbia, those who are the majority in Serbia, are against imposing blockades onto the whole of Serbia in order to achieve certain political goals," said Dacic.

He added that everyone has the right to organize a gathering and that this is not a matter for the police, but that the job of the police is to enable normal life to function and preserve order and peace.

The minister stressed that the students taking part in blockaded and the citizens who support that deliberately do not report their rallies to the police, because they do not want the organizer to be known, since the organizer is responsible for that gathering and for any possible consequences.

"If you want to not allow a rally to take place, then you get into a conflict with the organizers," said Dacic.

On the other hand, the minister said that only the actions of the police are regulated by law.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)