Serbian Protesters, Police Clash After Arrests in Anti-Government Protests

Serbian police early Monday removed street blockades in the capital, Belgrade, that thousands of demonstrators had set up in response to the violence and arrests of anti-government protesters who took part in a massive anti-graft rally over the weekend and called for new elections, the Associated Press reported. 

Demonstrators placed metal fences and garbage containers in various locations around the country on Sunday evening and early Monday to block access. They also shut off a key bridge crossing the Sava River in the capital.  

In the northern city of Novi Sad, protesters egged the offices of the ruling populist Serbian Progressive Party, according to Al Jazeera. 

They are demanding that all arrested demonstrators be released. 

About 50 officers and 22 protesters were injured in the clashes on Saturday night, which started after the official part of the rally was over. Police in riot gear used batons, pepper spray, and shields to charge at demonstrators, who threw rocks at police cordons. 

Out of the 77 people arrested, 38 remain in custody, mostly facing criminal charges over their alleged roles in the violence. Authorities also detained at least eight university students accused of planning attacks on state institutions. 

This weekend’s protests mark a major escalation in the ongoing demonstrations that were ignited after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November, killing 16, Deutsche Welle noted.  

The incident, widely blamed on graft-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects, sparked student-led demonstrations accusing the government of corruption and demanding new elections to oust populist President Aleksandar Vučić, whose government protesters call “illegitimate.” 

Before Saturday’s demonstration, organizers had given Vučić the “ultimatum” to call snap elections, which are not otherwise scheduled until 2027. 

Vučić, however, has refused. He has accused the students and professors who are the driving force behind nearly eight months of almost daily protests of “terror,” accusing the demonstrators of seeking to destroy the country. 

Critics say that Vučić has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power more than a decade ago, suppressing democratic freedoms while allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish. He denies these accusations. 

While Serbia is formally seeking membership in the European Union, Vučić’s government has been cozying up to Russia and China, analysts say.