On Saturday evening, a large-scale protest took place in Belgrade, with demonstrators demanding early elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, writes Reuters.
The police deployed dozens of officers in protective gear around government buildings, the parliament, and a nearby park where crowds of Vučić's supporters from across the country gathered for a counter-rally.
Vučić had previously refused to hold early elections. His coalition, led by the Progressive Party, holds 156 of the 250 seats in parliament.
After the official end of the rally at 10:00 PM, some protesters threw bottles, stones, and flares at the police, who used force to disperse them in several places in central Belgrade. People shouted: "Put down the shields," urging the police to stop intervening.
Several dozen protesters were detained, and six police officers were injured during the clashes, said police director Dragan Vasilević at a press conference on Saturday evening.
The rally in Belgrade took place on St. Vitus Day, revered by most Serbs, which commemorates the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Turks in 1389.
Vučić stated that the protesters attempted to overthrow the state. "They (the protesters) wanted to overthrow Serbia, but they did not succeed," he wrote on his Instagram* page.
In their statement, students accused the government of escalating tensions. "They (the authorities) ... chose violence and repression against the people. They are responsible for any radicalization of the situation," the students wrote on the social network X.
"The police will take all measures to establish public order and peace... and will use all their powers to repel attacks and arrest all those who attacked the police," said Interior Minister Ivica Dačić.
Months of protests across the country, including the closure of universities, have made Vučić nervous, whose second term ends in 2027.
Opponents of Vučić accuse him and his allies of ties to organized crime, violence against rivals, and restricting media freedom.
On Saturday, Vučić stated that unspecified "foreign forces" were behind the protests. He said that the police should exercise restraint but warned that violence should not be tolerated. "The country will be protected, and hooligans will face justice," he told reporters in Belgrade.
In the days leading up to the protest, police arrested about a dozen anti-government activists, accusing them of undermining the constitution and terrorism. All of them denied the charges.
Protests by students, the opposition, teachers, workers, and farmers began in December last year after 16 people died on November 1 due to the collapse of the railway station roof in Novi Sad. Protesters blame the disaster on corruption, which they believe has engulfed the country.
Photo: Reuters