Citizens gathered in protest in Banja Koviljaca, western Serbia, on Sunday and called on authorities to find a solution to the increasing number of foreign citizens in the local Asylum Centre, and added that parents will not send their children to schools as of Monday for safety reasons.

The protest dubbed 'Who is next?' was staged because a woman from Britain was violated on October 27, and the suspects for the rape are five Afghan citizens without personal documents, one of whom has been arrested.

According to police estimates, the Sunday protest gathered around 1.500 people, and protesters stated that the solution to the problem does not boil down to relocation of illegal immigrants but that the only true key lies in closing the local Asylum Centre as well.

Local self-governments warned the authorities on several occasions that the situation could get out of hand.
In April, there were 500 to 600 foreign citizens seeking asylum in Banja Koviljaca, but their number has increased to over 2.500 by now. A majority of asylum-seekers come from Afghanistan and Somalia, Loznica Mayor Vidoje Petrovic told Tanjug on Tuesday.

Many asylum-seekers arrived illegally and their stay in the area is not registered, he specified.