Croatia: Thousands Of Anti-Government Protesters Rally In Zagreb
Several thousand anti-government protesters rallied in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Friday evening, demanding that the government of Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor step down.
As in previous protests this week, the demonstrators first tried to reach St Mark’s Square, the seat of the government and parliament, but were turned back by the police because protests are prohibited in that square.
The demonstrators then headed for the headquarters of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, party, chanting “HDZ thieves,” “We want elections” and “We want change”. They stayed there for about 15 minutes and then moved to Vukovarska Street.
The protesters also accused the Croatian opposition of failing to improve the situation in Croatia, saying that they were only concerned with their own self-promotion.
Croatia has faced a number of anti-government protests in recent weeks, including one on Saturday that saw violent clashes between police and demonstrators. More than 30 people were injured and dozens arrested in the rally, at which protesters called on the government to step down.
Friday’s rally was also supported by Croatia’s teachers’ union, as well as several smaller opposition parties, including the nationalist HDS SB party of Branimir Glavas, a convicted war criminal.
The protest passed without incident, with only a small number of police providing security. The traffic along the march route was disrupted.
