Al Jazeera reported, Serbian riot police attempted to disperse the tens of thousands of protesters who were calling for early elections by firing tear gas in Belgrade on Saturday night.
These protests, which were primarily led by students from Serbian universities, represent the latest wave of public discontent with the government of Aleksandar Vučić, who has been in power for over a decade.
According to observers, the main streets, bridges, and squares of Belgrade were paralyzed during the large gathering of protesters, who chanted slogans such as "Enough" and "Elections Now," demanding an end to what they describe as corruption, media repression, and mafia influence within the government structure.
Media reports indicate that a significant number of riot police have been deployed around Slavija Square and Nemanjina Street.
Students, who were the starting point of these protests, view the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad in November of last year (2024), which resulted in the deaths of 16 people, as a consequence of corruption and the inefficiency of government projects. Following this crisis, Miloš Vučić, the then-Prime Minister of Serbia, resigned earlier this year, but President Vučić remains in power and has shown clear opposition to holding early elections.
On the other hand, the Serbian Railways announced that it had suspended train services due to a bomb threat, an action that opponents interpreted as an attempt to prevent people from traveling to the capital.
In his statements, Vučić claimed that foreign powers are behind these protests and warned that the police would act with restraint, but that thugs would face justice.
Zohre Khazaee
