Thousands of people gathered in the center of the Montenegrin capital Podgorica on Friday evening, continuing the days of protest over the introduction of a law on religious communities.

The Montenegrin parliament adopted the law on religious communities which the Serbian Orthodox Church says will allow the government to seize its properties and turn over monasteries, temples and holy sites which it has held for centuries to the unrecognized Montenegrin orthodox church. The protests began before the law was adopted and have continued since.  

The religious procession was headed Montenegro Littoral Bishop Amfilohije, a fierce critic of the authorities in both Montenegro and Serbia.

Local media reported that a crowd of several thousand gathered in the northern Montenegrin town of Berane to protest the law in front of their local monastery. The crowd included the opposition mayor and local officials. Berane is the only opposition controlled town in the country.