Anti-Vucic Protesters Storm State TV Building In Belgrade

Serbian protesters demonstrating against President Aleksandar Vucic have occupied the state-run TV building in Belgrade to criticize the station for what they call biased reporting.

Riot police came to state TV headquarters in central Belgrade to try and evict the dozens of people who burst into the building on March 16 during the latest of a series of weekly protests against Vucic and his government.

Some opposition leaders from the Alliance for Serbia were among those in the Serbian TV building and said they would not leave until they were allowed to speak on air.

The alliance is a loose grouping of some 30 parties and movements.

"For the past months we have been asking only for one thing -- to allow protest organizers to speak on the state television," said Bosko Obradovic, leader of the Dveri political party.

Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic warned the protesters to leave the building or be removed as police would "protect all Serbian TV journalists."

Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin told pro-government Pink TV that the protesters were "fascists."

The entering of the TV building was an escalation of the weekly protests held by demonstrators for the past three months in several cities around the country.

Demonstrators are demanding Vucic's resignation, a more open media, and transparent elections.

The weekly rallies began after unknown people beat up an opposition politician in November.

In neighboring Montenegro, some 10,000 people also demonstrated on March 16 against President Milo Djukanovic in the capital, Podgorica.

Djukanovic and his party have ruled Montenegro for the past 30 years.

Both Vucic and Djukanovic have rejected calls to resign.

With reporting by AP and Reuters