SNS Activists Block Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad, Unfurl “Long Live United Serbia” Banner

Activists of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) blocked traffic on the Varadin Bridge in Novi Sad on Tuesday morning (September 15), one of the city’s main arteries over the Danube, to unfurl a large banner on both its lanes reading “Živela ujedinjena Srbija” (“Long live united Serbia”).

The blockade took place on the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom and the National Flag, a holiday Serbia and Republika Srpska mark every September 15 in memory of the liberation in World War I. The ruling party’s activists chose precisely this symbolic date for their action on the bridge over the Danube, turning the important artery into a stage for the political message.

The event comes at the height of the campaign for the snap parliamentary elections of October 25, in which Aleksandar Vučić’s SNS faces the student list “Students Win” and the opposition. In recent weeks, the ruling party has intensified public activities in an effort to mobilize its electoral base ahead of the vote.

Such symbolic activities of the ruling party have become commonplace on the eve of elections, while the opposition accuses it of using public resources for campaign purposes. The bridge blockade caused traffic disruptions at one of the city’s busiest points, drawing the attention of local media.

Source: Danas