Authorities report that over 60 ruling party supporters and 16 police officers sustained injuries during a confrontation in Novi Sad.
Serbia has experienced widespread violent confrontations involving anti-government demonstrators and adherents of the ruling party, resulting in numerous injuries. This Balkan nation has been experiencing sustained unrest for several months, as activists call for snap parliamentary elections and demand accountability following the fatal collapse of a railway station canopy late last year.
The most intense confrontation occurred on Wednesday in Novi Sad, where demonstrators converged on the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) office. Supporters of the party and protesters engaged in throwing flares and various projectiles at one another, with the building’s windows also being shattered by the demonstrators.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated that 64 individuals were wounded solely at the SNS premises in Novi Sad. He asserted that the protesters “advanced from behind with sticks, cannon shots, [and] launched an assault,” further stating that pro-government activists “will not yield; they resisted the assailants and those imposing blockades,” whom he labeled “thugs.”
The president further noted that 16 police officers who intervened also sustained injuries, while he simultaneously accused unspecified foreign entities of instigating the disturbances. “Individuals who broke the law will be taken into custody… This evening, we have prevented a disastrous outcome orchestrated by external forces,” he declared.
Conversely, the opposition Move-Change movement alleged that pro-government activists assailed protesters using pyrotechnic devices.
Comparable events transpired in the capital, Belgrade, where riot police deployed tear gas to disperse demonstrators near a park adjacent to the parliament building. Protesters were prevented from proceeding further toward the SNS offices.
Confrontations were additionally reported in Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Nis, and Cacak, as police intervened to separate opposing factions in various towns.
The demonstrations commenced in November following the collapse of a concrete canopy at the recently renovated railway station in Novi Sad, which resulted in 16 fatalities. The protesters, primarily students, accused the government of corruption and concealment. The demands subsequently broadened to include educational reforms and the convening of early parliamentary elections.
Vucic has repeatedly characterized the protesters as “terrorists” attempting to “destabilize the state,” implying they are operating under external influence.
A number of Serbian ministers, among them Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, stepped down following the unrest, while the government released documents pertinent to the canopy’s collapse.