STA, 20 October 2021 - Protesters against Covid pass mandate and other coronavirus-related restrictions gathered for the sixth consecutive rally in Ljubljana on Wednesday, urging an early election. The protest was addressed by the head of the Resni.ca (Truth) party Zoran Stevanović, who is considered one of the main initiators of the weekly rallies.
According to initial estimates, a few thousand protesters gathered in Congress Square this time as Republic Square, their usual starting point, had been fenced off due to preparations for the upcoming Ljubljana Marathon.
They chanted anti-government slogans, but also voiced criticism against police, judiciary, media, doctors as well as opposition parties, calling for a snap election. Most of all, they are against the recovered-vaccinated-tested requirement.
Rally speeches started at about 4pm with Stevanović being the first to address the crowd, reported the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. He said the protesters were getting stronger by the day and had set an example for Slovenia's neighbour countries, particularly Italy and its protests in Trieste.
A number of protesters were ID'd at the start of the rally, according to several media reports, with police officers going through the contents of their backpacks and handbags.
The police had noted that the rally had not been registered, urging the participants to protest peacefully and to follow police instructions. Police presence had been boosted and a helicopter had been circling above the rally venue.
After the speeches wrapped up, the protesters started marching through the streets of the capital. The police then urged them to disband, but this has only led to the rally being divided into two groups.
