Report from the Great March 1st Rally – Part Two
The city of Niš has never been louder. Literally all the streets were filled with people who came from all over Serbia to support the students who are demanding justice for the terrible accident that took 15 lives. After a five-day walk, the students had the strength to stand on the streets of Niš for 18 hours. Citizens joined them because, as they say, the students' demands are the demands of the people. The atmosphere was very emotional, and hugs were a common sight in the streets. The students had a cultural program, sports and social activities, and in the main part they read the student edict, followed by a musical program. The city was full until midnight and then cleaned up by the students and citizens who voluntarily stayed to help them.
Watch the full report.
-
Kurti faces two scenarios – Coalition with the opposition or with minorities
Labyrinth in Kosovo
Albin Kurti’s party, Self-Determination, received the most votes in Kosovo’s regular parliamentary elections. These are the first regular elections since Kosovo’s independence in 2008. The current prime minister will have to form a coalition if he wants to retain the prime minister’s office. Analysts we spoke say that Kurti has two options, either a coalition with the opposition or with minorities. Negotiations are just beginning. In the campaign, which passed peacefully, the focus of politicians was mainly on ethnic issues, while the focus of the people, however, is on real social problems such as the economy, emigration and corruption. We talk to journalist Vjosa Cerkini in Pristina about all these issues, as well as about Kosovo’s international relations under the leadership of Albin Kurti. In Mitrovica, we spoke with political analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu, and in North Mitrovica, we asked citizens what they think about these elections.
-
Reportage from the welcome of Serbian students in Aleksinac and Niš
Labyrinth follows the student protests in Serbia
Serbian students were welcomed in every city with tears in their eyes, loud applause and fireworks. After the big rally in Kragujevac, the students also organized a walk to Niš. They set off from several different cities and walked for five days to their final destination. As a sign of support, several citizens, a group of marathon runners, as well as a group of cyclists, joined them, and the locals organized a welcome with loud cheers and torches. Throughout their journey, the students had medical support provided by medical students, as well as by medical staff from institutions across Serbia who volunteered to treat their wounds. Watch the reportage from part of the students' journey, and tomorrow the second part will follow, namely the reportage from the big rally on March 1st.
-
Macedonia got a new President - Eastern European countries are fighting for democracy
Analysis of Macedonian diplomacy, Callings from Georgia and Ukraine on the situation with the protests and the war.
The first guest in this edition of Labyrinth is the former Ambassador of Macedonia to Sweden and Romania, Tihomir Ilievski. We talked about the oath taken by the new President and the reactions it caused among our neighbors. Despite the reactions and difficulties in bilateral relations, the diplomat is still optimistic about the European integration of Macedonia, as well as about the normalization of relations in the entire Balkans.
In Georgia, massive civil protests are taking place over the law on "foreign agents" which moves the country away from the European path, but also seriously threatens the livelihood and freedom of Georgian citizens. From Tbilisi, we were joined by Ekaterine Basilaia - director of the Center for Media and Social Research of Georgia, who explained in more detail what this law is and why so many people took to the streets. We discussed the use of excessive force by the police in arresting peaceful protesters and the legal fight to protect those detained.
In Labyrinth, we also included the volunteer in the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, Volodymyr Sapekhin. Volodymyr has been going to the fronts and back for more than two years. We talked about the current situation on the fronts, about the progress of Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, but also about his personal feelings about the two realities he lives in.
