In the Serbian capital Belgrade, police fired pepper spray and tear gas at anti-government demonstrators demanding new elections and an end to the long rule of President Aleksandar Vucic, although counter-demonstrators also took to the streets.
On 28 June, an independent observer estimated the size of the student-led anti-government gathering at 140,000 participants, many of whom chanted “We want elections!” in and around Belgrade’s central Slavija Square. Police had earlier estimated the rally at 36,000 participants.
Dozens of protesters were detained, according to journalists on the scene, while police said six police officers were injured in clashes.
In smaller numbers, pro-government supporters also camped out in the centre of Belgrade near the parliament building, the National Assembly. After the official demonstration ended at 22:00, police clashed with anti-Vucic protesters near the camp.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, in a statement, strongly condemned “the attacks by participants of the unannounced rally in Slavija on employees of the Interior Ministry”. He said he would take all measures to restore order and that those who attacked police officers would be brought to justice.
On social media, Vucic said the protesters were trying to overthrow the state. “They wanted to overthrow Serbia and they failed,” he wrote. Pro-government media reported that Vucic is tentatively scheduled to address the public on 29 June.
AP quoted one student protester as saying: “elections are an obvious way out of the social crisis caused by the government’s actions, which are undoubtedly against the interests of its own people.”
Over the past eight months, thousands of Serbs, often led by student groups but increasingly joined by others, have taken to the streets to protest against Vucic.
The collapse of the cement canopy of the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November last year, which killed 16 people, sparked one of the largest protest movements in the country in recent memory.
Protesters claimed the tragedy was due to corruption and incompetence of officials, and the demonstrations quickly turned into a more generalised anger against Vucic, whose five-year term expires in 2027. He was prime minister from 2014-17.
After the initial protests, prosecutors announced the arrest of about a dozen officials linked to the railway incident, including former Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic and former railway infrastructure director Jelena Tanaskovic.
Vucic’s opponents accuse him and his government allies of links to organised crime, violence against political rivals, and suppression of media freedom and freedom of speech.