An impressive reception to
greet President Vladimir
Putin.
He came to Serbia this week
to shore up one of his allies,
President Aleksandar
Vucic, who critics accuse
of dismantling
democracy at home.
The ceremony played out
at this historic church.
We watched the
lavish festivities
which felt more
like a coronation
than a state visit.
People attended from all
corners of the country.
But most of them
were bussed in.
It’s a carefully
orchestrated show
loaded with symbolism.
And at a time when
authoritarianism is on the rise,
a visit like this suggests
that Serbia is moving
in a similar direction.
Vucic was elected in 2017.
Over the last two years,
he’s amassed more
power, silenced the press
and undermined
opposition.
In November,
Borko Stefanovic,
a prominent opposition
leader, was assaulted
on his way to meet
some of his supporters.
“Just describe the
attack itself.
What happened?”
“They knocked me
unconscious from the back,
so I was hit.
They actually
tried to murder me
because when I was
unconscious, they continued
to hit me in the head.
There was a lot of
blood on my shirt
and at the press
conference the day
after, I showed the bloody
shirt to the public,
and actually actually that
the image of that shirt
was the spark for
these protests.”
“And that’s why the
protesters carry
signs saying ‘No more blood’.”
“Yes, exactly that’s
the reason why.”
The attack sent thousands of
protesters into the streets.
And they’ve returned
for six weeks straight,
accusing the president of
creating a climate of fear
and paranoia.
We sat down with President
Vucic
and asked him 
to respond to his critics.
“I guess there’s
some concern that
in your relationship with Putin
that maybe that model is
being adopted here
as well.”
“Which model?”
“The model the
more authoritarian-style
of government.”
“If you think so,
what can I say to you?”
“You can tell me if you think
that’s an incorrect analysis,
or if you think that’s accurate.”
“I think it is an
incorrect analysis.
I think that we belong
to a very democratic society.”
We met Jelena Anasonovic,
one of the original organizers of
the antigovernment protests.
“So what is this what
we’re getting on here?”
“Yeah”
“Number 41?”
“Yeah, 41.”
“41.”
“O.K.”
“Serbian public transportation.”
“So these protests,
they started over the
beating of one politician,
but it’s sort of
taken on a lot more.
So it’s kind of everyone who
is upset about what exactly?”
“The main reason is
the like raising violence
in our institutions.
They're creating the
atmosphere of fear.”
She sat down with a group of
friends in a downtown cafe
to plan the next
demonstration.
“Have all of you thought about
leaving at some point?”
“Yeah, definitely
at some points of
despair we thought about
leaving the country.
But it was like more,
we want to have decent jobs.
We want to have
a decent society
without lies, manipulation
discrimination.”
“I mean, to me, you
guys, you guys
are out here with your
faces, your names.
Are you not afraid?
I mean, are you worried that
there might be consequences
for either you
or your family?”
“Yes, we are.”
“You are?”
“But you're still out here?”
“Yes, because we
need to be here
because I want to
change something
and I want to live in a 
decent, normal country.”
The students' frustrations have
echoed throughout the city,
and people have
joined the movement
from all walks
of life.
Like here,
at one of the oldest
theaters in Belgrade.
The night we attended, a dark
comedy about the breakdown
of society was
showing.
Bane Trifunovic is a
well-known actor here.
And he is now a public face
for the movement.
“Bravo!”
Two of Bane's shows 
have been banned.
A reminder, he
said, of the 1990s
when former President
Slobodan Milosevic
ruled through intimidation.
In 2000, a popular movement
swept him out of power.
“This building has
a lot of history
because you when you see
all these photos here,
it’s all about history.”
“They're amazing.”
“One of the things that
I'm so curious about,
how heavily history 
hangs over everywhere here.”
“It's everywhere.
It’s in this whiskey, you know.
It's everywhere.”
“So I don’t want to date
you, but,
you would’ve been in
your 20s in 2000 right?
You know, now 18 years
after that moment, here
you are in, I don’t know
how you would describe it,
but do you feel disappointed?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because actually
nothing happens.
Now, we were living in
worse play ever written.”
“You’re living in the
worst play ever written?”
“Yeah.”
We met up with
Jelena again.
She was one of the
thousands attending
a vigil for a politician
who was murdered
one year ago.
But even as more people
have risen up, week
after week, few of them expect
to take down the government.
Vucic remains
powerful and many
who oppose him don’t
see a real alternative
in the opposition.
But they hope that their
continuing resistance
will at least break down
the barrier of fear.
