This was what the streets of Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, looked like on Saturday, as protestors clashed with riot police as they dissented against the government.
Here’s what we know so far:
On Saturday, around 140,000 protestors gathered as part of one of the largest of recent student-led demonstrations against the populist government.
The demonstrations centered around demanding an early election and an end to President Aleksander Vucic’s 12 year rule. His second term is currently due to end in 2027, when parliamentary elections have been scheduled.
Ahead of the protest, organizers issued an ultimatum for Vucic to announce elections, which he declined.
The key details:
Protestors clashed with police who fired tear gas and detained Several dozens of protestors. At least six officers were also reported injured.
This comes after 5 people were detained on Friday, who according to a statement from Serbia’s Higher Court, were accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Here’s the context:
The protests on Saturday come after almost 8 months of persistent dissent led by university students.
Demonstrations started last December, following the deaths of 16 people on the 1st of November, in the collapse of Novi Sad railway station’s roof – which protestors blamed on corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects.
The backlash to the incident forced the former Prime Minister, Milos Vucevic, to resign earlier this year, but President Aleksander Vucic still remains in power.
The reaction:
As the protest ended, organizers played a statement to the crowd, urging Serbians to “take freedom into your own hands”.
They claimed that “The authorities had all the mechanisms and all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation” but “Instead, they chose violence and repression against the citizens. Any radicalisation of the situation is their responsibility.”
President Vucic accused the protestors of wanting to topple Serbia, and he hit back at them today in a News conference, claiming that ”Serbia won. You cannot destroy Serbia with violence as some wanted. Serbia has not and Serbia will never stop.” He also praised the Serbian police force for their professionalism.
Report by Sophia Liversidge
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