Police disperse opposition rally near Belgrade City Hall
Police dispersed protesters and surrounded Belgrade City Hall (photo: twitter.com/Sprinter99800)
Police managed to disperse the rally near the Belgrade City Administration. The protesters demanded that the results of the Serbian parliamentary elections be invalidated and tried to storm the building, states AP.
The published videos show demonstrators running away from law enforcement officers. Security forces use tear gas and detain oppositionists.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called the protesters "thugs" and "vain revolutionaries" and convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.
Parliamentary elections in Serbia and opposition protests
In early November, Vučić dissolved the Serbian parliament and scheduled new parliamentary and local elections for December 17, 2023.
The ruling Serbian Progressive Party won the elections on December 17. However, the opposition believes that the parliamentary elections were rigged.
OSCE observers also recorded election violations in Serbia. Among the violations, in particular, were bribery of voters and media bias.
On the evening of December 24, supporters of the Serbia Against Violence coalition gathered in front of the Belgrade City Hall to express their distrust of the election results. During the rally, the demonstrators made several attempts to storm the building, breaking windows and doors.
Vučić said that the situation in the country was under control and that the events in Belgrade were not a revolution.
