Belgrade protest turns violent as pressure mounts on Vucic and his rule

Police in central Belgrade clashed with protesters on Saturday after a large anti-government rally turned confrontational, with officers firing tear gas and stun grenades as they pushed the crowd back from the presidency area.

The demonstration drew tens of thousands of people who were calling for early elections and challenging the more than decade-long rule of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. AP said the main rally in Slavija Square was largely peaceful before violence flared later in the evening.

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Old wound opens again

The rally was the latest eruption in a protest movement that began a year and a half ago after a deadly roof collapse in Novi Sad triggered anger over corruption and mismanagement.

Protesters and opposition figures have cast that disaster as part of a broader pattern of official failure, while Vucic and his allies have denied corruption allegations and said they have taken action against those responsible.

Before the clashes, Mirjana Nikolic, rector of Belgrade’s University of Arts, told the crowd, “This government is ... afraid of those who are defending their dignity and their rights.”

Matters become decidedly less civil

Reuters reported that riot police cordoned off Belgrade city hall and gathered near the presidency building and a park where Vucic supporters have been camping since March last year.

As the confrontation escalated, protesters set fire to rubbish bins, while police used force to push them farther down the street. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 23 people were detained, and Reuters said police officers were also injured, though no full details were given. Some demonstrators threw flares, rocks and bottles before police moved to disperse them.

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By any tally, a substantial crowd

Crowds earlier in the day had streamed into central Belgrade, many wearing symbols linked to the student-led protest movement that has kept pressure on Vucic for months.

Police estimated the crowd at 34,300, while the Archive of Public Gatherings put it at around 100,000. The competing estimates underscored the scale of the unrest, which has become one of the strongest challenges yet to Vucic’s grip on power.