New big anti-government protest in Serbia: Police detain dozens of people

The people of Serbia gathered in the capital Belgrade to demand early elections and the end of the current government. The police intervened in the crowded protest with tear gas and detained dozens of people.

Serbian police used tear gas and detained dozens of people during clashes with protesters demanding early elections and the end of President Aleksandar Vucic's 12-year government in the capital Belgrade.

Yesterday's protest was held after nearly eight months of protests led by university students in Serbia that have shaken Vucic's power.

The large crowd that filled Slavija Square in the center of the capital and several blocks around it chanted: "We want elections!" Many of the protesters could not reach the square due to the crowd.

Police director Dragan Vasiljevic announced at a press conference that more than twenty protesters were detained and six police officers were injured in hours of street fighting in the center of Belgrade.

Vucic, on the other hand, claimed that the protesters were "trying to overthrow the state". "They [the protesters] wanted to overthrow Serbia and they failed," the president wrote on his Instagram page.

Previous major protests
According to the Independent Protest Observer, Archive of Public Meetings, the rally, which was attended by about 140 thousand people, was one of the largest student-led demonstrations.

The protests began last December after the roof of a train station collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in the north of the country, killing 16 people. Many Serbians emphasized that the incident was caused by corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects.

As a result of popular pressure, Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned earlier this year, but Vucic remains in power.

Tired of the government's inaction against the scandals, students have been calling for elections since May.

Ultimatum to Vucic from the organizers of the action
Before yesterday's protest, the organizers issued an "ultimatum" to Vucic to announce the elections by 21:00. Vucic had rejected this request long ago.

As the protest drew to a close, the organizers of the action issued a statement to the crowd, calling on Serbs to "take freedom into their own hands".

In a statement on Instagram after the rally, the organizers said, "The authorities had all the mechanisms and time to meet the demands and prevent escalation. Instead, they chose violence and repression against citizens. Any radicalization of the situation is their responsibility."

Vucic packed his own supporters into buses
Hours before the protest in Slavija Square, Vucic's party sent its own supporters from other parts of the country to the capital on buses. Many of them were wearing T-shirts with the words "We will not give up Serbia".

Government supporters have joined loyal supporters who have been camped near Vucic's office in central Belgrade since mid-March.

Vucic, whose coalition led by the Progressive Party holds 156 out of 250 parliamentary seats, claimed to reporters yesterday that unspecified "external forces" were behind the protests.

Vucic said that the police should be "measured", while threatening that "the thugs will be brought to justice".

Vucic has previously ruled out holding early elections in the country and has expressed his determination to continue his second term, which ends in 2027.

However, his position in power was shaken as opponents accused him and his allies of organized crime, violence against his opponents and restricting media freedoms. The Vucic government denies these accusations.

Operations against opponents before the protest
In the days leading up to the protest, police arrested around ten anti-government people and charged them with "undermining the constitution and terrorism." Those arrested denied these charges.

Police have also arrested several people accused of plotting to overthrow the government and banned several people from Croatia and a theater director from Montenegro from entering the country without explanation.

Serbia's railway company also stopped train services on the day of the protest, alleging a bomb threat on the railways. Many thought it was done to prevent people from going to Belgrade for the rally.

Authorities took similar steps in March before the largest anti-government protest in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the capital at that protest.