The “1 out of 5 million” protests against Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic marked one year since their start with an attempt to break into the parliament on the evening of December 8, N1 reported on December 9.

The “1 out of 5 million” protests were initially sparked by an attack on opposition politician Borko Stefanovic in the town of Krusevac last year. They escalated after Vucic said that he would not agree to protesters' demands even if there were five million people in the street.

On the evening of December 8, the protest organisers decided to mark the anniversary with a performance, which included knocking on parliament’s doors and yelling “Thieves!”, a video broadcast by N1 showed.

According to the organisers, the performance went well and aimed to show those in power that the country’s politics can no longer continue the same way. However, according to members of the ruling party, the protest turned violent — though this was disputed by participants. 

“There was no violence at all. It was only our determination to return these institutions of the state of Serbia to the people,” Bosko Obradovic, the leader of Serbian movement Dveri, told N1.

He added that the movement will resist political corruption and those who breach Serbian laws and constitution, referring to Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Vucic, formerly a member of the nationalist Serbian Radical Party, joined the now governing SNS, formed by ex-deputy leader of the Radical Party, Tomislav Nikolic, in 2008. Vucic’s political orientation has changed dramatically, and he now prioritises reforms and Serbia’s entry to the EU.

Vucic was elected president in April 2017 and he took office in May last year. His election sparked protests across Serbia and he was accused of leading the country towards authoritarianism.