00:00Tens of thousands of Serbians swarmed the streets of the capital Belgrade in preparation
00:07for a major anti-government rally planned for the weekend.
00:12Protesters participated in what they called a joyful prelude to Saturday's rally against
00:16populist President Aleksandar Vucic.
00:20Demonstrators waved flags, chanted slogans, and lit up flares and fireworks in downtown
00:25Belgrade.
00:27Today's protests are being seen as the first major challenge for Vucic and his decade-long
00:31firm grip on power in Serbia.
00:34The Serbian leader warned of mass arrests if violence breaks out on the weekend rally,
00:39which he has described as illegal.
00:42Protests started four months ago after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station killing
00:4615 people in Serbia's north.
00:49Vucic has vowed to fight the protests, which he accuses Western intelligence services of
00:54orchestrating to overthrow him.
00:57The European Union, which Serbia is seeking full membership to, has urged Belgrade to
01:02respect the people's right to protest and urged demonstrators to avoid violence.
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