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Tensions in Belgrade, police clash with students demanding Vučić's removal

2026-05-24 12:33:34Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Tensions in Belgrade, police clash with students demanding Vučić's

Tensions and clashes were recorded on Saturday evening in Belgrade, where thousands of student-led protesters took to the streets again demanding early elections and the removal of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić after 12 years in power.

The latter has been accused by critics of consolidating power and undermining democratic checks and balances.

The protest movement began after the tragedy that occurred in November 2024 in the city of Novi Sad, where the collapse of a concrete structure at a railway station caused the death of 16 people. The tragedy occurred after the reconstruction of the station as part of a Chinese-funded project and was considered by public opinion to be the result of corruption and lack of state control.

What happened at the last protest?

According to media reports, tens of thousands of people joined the rally, with many protesters wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Students Win" or Serbian flags and banners with the names of their cities.

While the main protest was largely peaceful, groups of young people later clashed with police, throwing fireworks, rocks and bottles. Special police responded with tear gas to disperse them.

During the protest, participants called for early parliamentary elections, accused the government of crime and corruption, and demanded the restoration of the rule of law.

After trains in and out of Belgrade were cancelled due to a bomb threat, organizers also accused the state-owned railway operator of trying to prevent citizens from other parts of Serbia from traveling to the protest.

The rally, in Belgrade's Slavija Square, was the scene of a major anti-government protest in March 2025 that gathered 300,000 people, but ended in controversial circumstances.

During that rally, the government denied using a sonic weapon against protesters, a denial that independent experts could not fully confirm.

Student uprising sparked by disaster in Novi Sad

The student movement emerged after the fatal collapse of a 48-meter concrete roof at a railway station in Serbia's second largest city, Novi Sad, in November 2024.

Sixteen people lost their lives in the tragedy, which occurred shortly after the station was renovated as part of a major infrastructure project funded by China.

The collapse was blamed on shoddy workmanship and inadequate supervision, sparking widespread public outrage.
Following the incident, then-Prime Minister Miloš Vučević was forced to resign, while Vučić launched a crackdown on the protest movement after some of the rallies turned violent.

Vučić's supporters strengthen their positions

As Saturday's rally unfolded, Vucic loyalists gathered at a park camp near the Serbian presidency, set up by him in March as a "human shield" against protesters.

Vucic and pro-government media have recently intensified political rhetoric against his critics, labeling them as terrorists and foreign agents who want to destroy the country.

Serbia is officially seeking membership in the European Union, but maintains close ties with Russia and China.

The country's democratic decline under Vučić could cost Serbia around 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in EU funds, the bloc's top enlargement official warned last month.

On Friday, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner raised serious concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in Serbia, highlighting increasing attacks on journalists and activists, the narrowing of civic space and reports of police violence during protests.


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