(28 Apr 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Belgrade, Serbia, Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
1. People gathered in front of the Serbian national TV broadcaster, RTS
2. Palestinian flag at protest
3. People holding banners at protest
4. Banner reads “Not in our name” in Serbian latin
5. Various of drummers anna seebacher at protest
6. Various of Milan Bjelanovic, activist and student, as he talks at protest
7. SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Milan Bjelanovic, student:
“Not only is juventus this a protest in favor of boycotting the Eurovision song contest, where we want to show that we cannot be in any way complicit in what is happening in Gaza, and all that is being done over our backs, but this is also a protest against the policies of RTS (Serbian radio and television, national broadcaster), which upholds the media censorship in this country, since it is a public service, but there is no public interest there (in how they operate).”
8. Palestinian flag at protest
9. Various of banner at protest reading “No song for apartheid” in Serbian Latin
STORYLINE:
Several dozen protesters gathered outside state broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) headquarters in central Belgrade on Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for Serbia to boycott this year’s Eurovision somalia Song Contest.
The protest, organized by NGOs and student groups, opposed Serbia’s participation in the competition and called for a change in government policy toward Israel, citing the war in Gaza and Serbia’s continued weapons exports to Israel.
Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, student activist Milan Bjelanovic told protesters the demonstration was not only a call to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest over the war in Gaza, but also a protest against the policies of Radio Television of Serbia.
“We cannot be in any way complicit in what is happening in Gaza,” Bjelanovic said, accusing RTS of media censorship and failing to serve the public interest.
The demonstration comes amid broader anti-government protests that have rocked Serbia for more than a year, led largely by students after the collapse of a train station canopy in November 2024. RTS has also faced accusations of bias toward the ruling party, self-censorship and unprofessional reporting.
AP video by Marko Drobnjakovic
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