Serbia unrest: Police violently disperse anti-Vucic demonstrators
Serbian President Vučić (Photo: Getty Images)
In Serbia, police used tear gas and stun grenades against students and opposition activists demanding early elections and the resignation of President Aleksandar Vučić, CNN reports.
On the evening of September 5, large-scale protests took place in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, which escalated into clashes with special forces.
Police deployed tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd of students and citizens calling for early elections to remove President Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Thousands of people gathered on the grounds of the state university, holding signs reading: “We don’t want blockades, we want elections” and “Students have one urgent demand: Call elections.”
Chants of “Vučić, leave!” echoed through the crowd.
The clashes began near the Faculty of Philosophy, where protesters threw flares, and police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, pushing the demonstrators back.
The wave of protests was triggered by the tragic events of last November, when the collapse of the roof at a newly renovated railway station killed 16 people. The opposition and activists blame the government for corruption, which they argue led to the disaster.
Protests have been ongoing in the country for several months and were mostly peaceful, but after the August 13 clashes - when dozens of police officers and civilians were injured - the situation has escalated.
Students, opposition forces, and anti-corruption groups also accuse President Vučić and his allies of ties to organized crime, suppressing media freedom, and using violence against political opponents.
Vučić and the ruling party reject these accusations.
“The solution is to call elections,” said protester Nebojša Korać. “On our side, we want peace and democracy to prevail, and for political institutions to do their job. That means calling elections, and that will be the solution, because the government will change.”
The protests in Novi Sad mark another challenge for Vučić’s government, which is facing mounting public pressure and demands for political change in Serbia.
Protests in Serbia
Student protests in Serbia began in November 2024 after the collapse of a railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. The tragedy sparked widespread accusations of corruption in state infrastructure projects.
Recently, a Serbian court arrested 13 people suspected of connection with the station collapse in Novi Sad. Among those detained were two former ministers.
