BELGRADE - Drivers in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia stopped their vehicles in the streets on Friday afternoon, paralysing traffic as part of a protest against high fuel prices.
The centre of the capital, as well as the highway running through Belgrade and other central streets, were all blocked up.
Streets in two other large cities, Novi Sad and Nis, were also jammed, as were several country roads. It was not clear how many drivers took part in the protest, but thousands of cars, trucks and public transportation vehicles were stuck in the resulting back-up.
Organizers in various places had said that they would keep the blockade between one and two hours.
Drivers stop their cars on the highway during rush hour in protest over soaring fuel prices in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 8, 2018. The protest on Friday in the capital Belgrade and other towns was organized through social networks. It halted traffic for about an hour on a hot and sunny afternoon, sending people walking home from work. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
In Serbia, 95-octane petrol costs 152 dinars per litre (1.52 dollars), while quality diesel is 167 dinars. Those prices are the most expensive in the region, after Albania, according to the Serbian car drivers association AMSS.
Drivers stop their cars on the highway during rush hour in protest over soaring fuel prices in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, June 8, 2018. The protest on Friday in the capital Belgrade and other towns was organized through social networks. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The average monthly wage in Serbia was just under 50,000 dinars in March, alongside an unemployment rate at around 15 per cent, according to official figures.