Serbian Drivers Block Streets In Protest Over Fuel Prices

A traffic jam in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, due to a strike over rising fuel prices on June 8, 2018.

Drivers in several Serbian cities stopped their cars in the streets during the afternoon rush hour for an hour on June 8 to protest high fuel prices.

Main highways, roads, and central city squares were blocked in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac, and a number of other cities and towns in the protest organized through social media.

In the capital, Belgrade, people could be seen on foot crossing bridges as kilometers-long lines of vehicles were stalled on the streets.

Fuel prices recently were raised to 1.24 euro ($1.40) for a liter for gasoline and 1.30 euro ($1.42) a liter for diesel.

Protesters said prices should be kept under 1 euro a liter in a country where the average salary is around 400 euros ($460) a month.

They also demanded that taxes -- which make up about 55 percent of the total price of a liter of fuel -- be lowered.

The government has blamed the price hikes on global markets. Serbia imports most of its oil products.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Balkan Service and AP