Students end blockade of Serbian state television

The blockade of the headquarters of the state television broadcaster RTS in central Belgrade lasted 14 days, with hundreds of students participating. It has now ended. Previously, the parliamentary committee responsible for the blockade had publicly advertised the positions for the steering committee of the media regulatory authority REM. The body, dominated by the ruling SNS party, had thus fulfilled the students' main demand.

Accusation: Propaganda for President Vucic

Critics accuse the state broadcaster RTS of propaganda and biased support for the authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic . On paper, the Serbian media regulator is structured similarly to the state media authorities in Germany: It is intended to ensure the independence of public broadcasters and oblige private television and radio stations to adhere to media ethics standards.

In fact, however, the system in Serbia never functioned that way and, as critics point out, has been completely emptied of its meaning under Vucic, who has shaped the Balkan country's politics in various roles since 2012. The supervisory authority's steering committee was always filled with party soldiers in opaque procedures. RTS is now considered a propaganda channel for the political leadership. Furthermore, private broadcasters owned by oligarchs close to Vucic defame political opponents.

The students celebrated the success

The mandate of the last REM Steering Council expired in November. Due to the non-transparent allocation of positions in the new tender, seven candidates withdrew their candidacies, bringing the process to a halt and leaving REM without leadership ever since. In the Culture Committee of the Serbian Parliament, 15 of 16 MPs – including almost all opposition MPs – voted on Monday evening in favor of issuing a new tender, as reported by television station N1.

The students in front of the RTS main building celebrated the decision as a success and announced the end of their blockade via Platform X. In the previous 14 days, RTS had had to limit its programming due to the blockade and produce some of its newscasts in outdoor studios.

The protests were triggered by the collapse of a station canopy

The RTS blockade was part of a broader protest movement breathing down the neck of Vucic's leadership. It was triggered by the collapse of a train station canopy in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people in November of last year. Protesters attribute the cause of the tragedy to the negligence and corruption of those in power .

They are not demanding politicians' resignations, but a fundamental reform of the political system to curb corruption and create the conditions for the rule of law. The students are currently occupying almost all universities in the country. Their protests have now been joined by broad sections of the population who are equally dissatisfied with Vucic.

pg/sti (dpa, afp)