Alcohol sales banned in Banja Luka tomorrow, all cafes closed

In Banja Luka tomorrow, catering establishments will not be working, and alcohol will not be sold either. This order was issued by the Mayor of Banja Luka, Slobodan Gavranović, at the request of the Security Staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska.

The ban comes into effect tonight at midnight and will last until 8:00 PM on Saturday, reports the Patria news agency. 

Thousands of citizens will take to the streets of Banja Luka tomorrow for peaceful protests to send a message to Dodik's government that they must leave, due to involvement in corruption and the economic situation in Republika Srpska, which has been catastrophic, especially in the last few years.

The opposition parties in RS, gathered in the Alliance for Change, announce that several tens of thousands of disenfranchised citizens will take to the streets of Banja Luka. They will demand jobs, better healthcare and social protection, as well as media and every other freedom. At the same time and place, the government has announced a counter-rally. Some analysts fear possible clashes.

In Banja Luka, all catering establishments will be closed on Saturday. Hotels, hostels, and similar facilities will operate, but they are prohibited from serving alcoholic beverages.

An exception is allowed for catering establishments and hotels to provide all services for already contracted and reserved wedding celebrations.
The order also bans the sale of alcoholic beverages in all other establishments that sell alcoholic beverages (shops, stores, markets, drugstores...), throughout the entire area of the city of Banja Luka.

Control of the execution of tasks from the Order will be carried out by the Department for Inspection Affairs and the Department of Communal Police of the City Administration of Banja Luka, with the assistance of members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska and the Banja Luka Public Security Center, reports NAP.