Dozens detained after Serbian riot police and anti-government protesters clash

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 28, 2025 10:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Dozens of anti-government protesters were detained during clashes with riot constabulary successful Serbia's superior connected Saturday during a monolithic rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic demanding an aboriginal parliamentary election.

The protestation by tens of thousands of radical was held aft astir 8 months of persistent dissent led by Serbia's assemblage students that person rattled Vucic's steadfast grip connected powerfulness successful the Balkan country.

The immense assemblage chanted: "We privation elections!" arsenic they filled the capital's cardinal Slavija Square and respective blocks astir it, with galore incapable to scope the venue.

Police handcuffed detained protesters, and an serviceman was seen injured connected the crushed during thoroughfare battles successful cardinal Belgrade that lasted respective hours. Six constabulary officers and an chartless fig of citizens were injured, constabulary said.

"Serbia ever wins successful the end," Vucic said successful an Instagram post.

Vucic, a erstwhile utmost nationalist, has go progressively authoritarian since coming to powerfulness much than a decennary ago. Though helium formally says helium wants Serbia to articulation the European Union, critics accidental Vucic has stifled antiauthoritarian freedoms arsenic helium strengthened ties with Russia and China.

As the protestation formally ended, the demonstrators threw eggs, integrative bottles and different objects astatine riot police, who were preventing the assemblage from approaching a downtown park. Hundreds of Vucic's loyalists person been camping astatine the parkland for months to signifier a quality shield successful beforehand of his office successful the capital.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said participants successful the protestation attacked the police. He said constabulary utilized their powers to reconstruct nationalist bid and "arrest each those who attacked the police."

Police aboriginal said dozens of "hooligans" were detained but did not supply the nonstop number.

Some demonstrators wore scarves and masks implicit their faces arsenic they clashed with instrumentality enforcement, utilizing garbage cans arsenic extortion against baton-wielding police. Officers used capsicum spray earlier pushing protesters with their shields.

Tensions were precocious earlier and during the gathering arsenic riot constabulary deployed astir authorities buildings.

"Elections are a wide mode retired of the societal situation caused by the deeds of the government, which is undoubtedly against the interests of their ain people," said a pupil who didn't springiness her sanction portion addressing the assemblage from a stage. "Today, connected June 28, 2025, we state the existent authorities illegitimate."

University students playing a cardinal role

At the extremity of the authoritative portion of the rally, students told the assemblage to "take state into your ain hands."

University students person been a cardinal unit down nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations that started aft a renovated obstruction presumption canopy collapsed, sidesplitting 16 radical connected Nov. 1.

Many blamed the factual extortion clang connected rampant authorities corruption and negligence successful authorities infrastructure projects, starring to recurring wide protests.

"We are present contiguous due to the fact that we cannot instrumentality it anymore," pupil Darko Kovacevic said. "This has been going connected for excessively long. We are mired successful corruption."

The president and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party person repeatedly refused the request for an aboriginal ballot and accused protesters of readying to spur unit connected orders from abroad, which they didn't specify oregon supply grounds of.

Vucic's authorities person launched a crackdown connected Serbia's striking universities and different opponents, portion expanding unit connected autarkic media arsenic they tried to curb the demonstrations.

WATCH | Did Serbian constabulary usage a sonic limb astatine this protest?:

While numbers person shrunk successful caller weeks, the monolithic showing for Saturday's anti-Vucic rally suggested that the resoluteness persists, contempt relentless unit and aft astir 8 months of astir regular protests.

Serbian police, who are firmly controlled by Vucic's government, said 36,000 radical were contiguous astatine the commencement of the protestation connected Saturday. An autarkic monitoring radical that records nationalist gatherings said about 140,000 radical attended the rally.

Saturday was St. Vitus Day, a spiritual vacation and the day erstwhile Serbs people a 14th-century conflict against Ottoman Turks successful Kosovo that was the commencement of hundreds of years of Turkish rule, holding symbolic importance.

Some of the speakers astatine the pupil rally evoked the theme, which was besides utilized to substance Serbian nationalism successful the 1990s that aboriginal led to the incitement of taste wars pursuing the breakup of the erstwhile Yugoslavia.

Vucic supporters bused successful to Belgrade

Hours earlier the student-led rally, Vucic's enactment bused successful scores of its ain supporters to Belgrade from different parts of the country, galore wearing T-shirts reading: "We won't springiness up Serbia." They were joining a campy of Vucic's loyalists successful cardinal Belgrade, wherever they person been staying successful tents since mid-March.

In a amusement of concern arsenic usual, Vucic handed retired statesmanlike awards successful the superior to radical helium deemed worthy, including artists and journalists. "People request not interest — the authorities volition beryllium defended and thugs brought to justice," helium told reporters connected Saturday.

Serbian statesmanlike and parliamentary elections are owed successful 2027.

Earlier this week, constabulary arrested respective radical accused of allegedly plotting to overthrow the authorities and banned introduction into the country, without explanation, to respective radical from Croatia and a theatre director from Montenegro.

Serbia's railway institution halted bid work implicit an alleged weaponry menace successful what critics said was an evident bid to forestall radical from travelling to Belgrade for the rally.

Authorities made akin moves successful March, earlier the largest-ever anti-government protestation successful the Balkan country, which drew hundreds of thousands of people.