Just few thousands of protesters gathered in Ljubljana's Congress Square on Saturday for what is the fourth "All-Slovenian Uprising", the latest in a string of anti-establishment rallies to demand the resignation of "incompetent and corrupt political elites" and call for changes to give ordinary people more say in politics.
At an open microphone set up in the square, protesters voiced disappointment with capitalism, the theft of state property and inequality before law. Some urged the protest movement to turn into a political entity and do away with the present political parties at the next elections.
Protesters stressed they were neither "left nor right but a change united in the fight against corruption, greed and violence". "We will not allow various parties, the church or the capital to manipulate us. We can think with our own heads."
Some called for a thorough overhaul of the system in Slovenia. "Early elections, new government, bad bank, these don't matter if we stay in the current system which is made in a way to contain cyclical crises and must abuse workers for the benefit of the capital in order to maintain itself. What we want is a change of system," a protester told the crowd.
The rally continued with a march through Ljubljana's city centre. Headed by a lorry-cum-stage featuring a number of prominent Slovenian musicians, the protesters carry a large banner reading "We do not need a new government but revolutionary changes instead" while another banner contains the names of about 100 people - including PM-designate Alenka Bratušek - whom the protesters accuse of wrecking the country. Also among the banners is the movement's signature motto "We won't pay for your crisis".
One their way past a court, the protesters staged a mock trial against tycoons, politicians and other office holders who "ran the country into the ground". Bankers, a number of high-profile managers as well as opposition leader Zoran Janković and outgoing PM Janez Janša are among those found "guilty" by the protesters.
Na major incidents have been reported so far. The police did however arrest an individual who came to the rally carrying a pitchfork which he refused to hand over to the police.
Several posters and graffiti inviting people to attend today's protests were seen throughout Ljubljana in the past week, and a 20-metre banner reading "vstaja" (uprising) was hung off the Ljubljana Castle tower yesterday before the police removed it.
Like the previous protests, today's event is accompanied by Protestival, a rally organised by artists against the elites.
The latest in the series of the All-Slovenian Uprisings is much smaller than the previous one which saw an overwhelming 20,000 people take to the streets on 8 February. The first one, on 21 December, saw some 5,000 participants; the second one, on 11 January, about 8,000, according to police estimates.
Source: The Slovenia Times
