Dozens of people are detained after Serbian riot police clashes with anti-government protesters
A massive rally with populist President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday demanded that dozens of anti-government protesters be detained in a clash with rioting police in the Serbian capital.
After nearly eight months of ongoing dissenting dissenting by university students at Serbia, hundreds of thousands of people held protests that continued enduring dissenting dissenting gave Vucic a firm control of power in the Balkan state.
The huge crowd shouted, “We want elections!” Many people were unable to reach the venue as they filled the central Slavia square in the capital and several blocks around it.
Protesters in custody of police handcuffs, a military officer was injured on the ground during street fighting in central Belgrade, lasting for several hours. Police said six police officers and unknown citizens were injured.
“Serbia always wins in the end,” Vucic said in an Instagram post.
Since taking office more than a decade ago, Vucic has become a more and more authoritarian. Although he formally said he wanted Serbia to join the EU, critics say Vucic stifled democratic freedoms as he strengthened his ties with Russia and China.
As the protest officially ended, protesters threw eggs, plastic bottles and other objects at riot police officers who stopped the crowd from approaching the downtown park. Hundreds of Vucic loyalists have been camping in the park for several months, forming a human shield in front of his capital headquarters.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said participants in the protests attacked police. He said police used their power to restore public order and “arrest all those who attacked the police.”
Police later said dozens of “rogues” were detained, but did not provide exact numbers.
Some protesters used trash cans to protect policemen wielding batons, wearing scarves and masks when clashing with law enforcement officers. The officer used pepper spray before pushing the protesters with his shield.
Tensions were high before and after the gatherings as riot police deployed around government buildings.
“Elections are a clear way to make social crises caused by government actions, which undoubtedly goes against the interests of their own people,” said a student. “Today, on June 28, 2025, we declared the current authorities illegal.”
College students play key roles
At the end of the official section of the rally, students told the crowd to “take freedom into their own hands.”
College students have been an important force behind the nationwide anti-corruption demonstrations, which began after the collapse of a refurbished train station, killing 16 people on November 1.
Many blame the concrete roof crash on rampant government corruption and negligence in national infrastructure projects, leading to mass protests.
“We’re here today because we can’t accept it anymore,” said student Darko Kovacevic. “It’s been going on for a long time. We’re stuck in corruption.”
The president and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly rejected demands for early votes and have accused protesters of planning violence to stimulate overseas orders, without designating or providing evidence.
Vucic authorities have launched a crackdown on Serbia’s striking universities and other rivals, while they have increased pressure on independent media as they try to curb the demonstrations.
Human rights groups accused Serbian authorities of undermining peaceful protests with “voice weapons”. The government denies it. The visual investigation department of CBC looks at what is happening, and what can be proven in fact.
Despite the shrinking numbers in recent weeks, the massive performance of Saturday’s anti-Vucic rally shows that despite the relentless pressure and after nearly eight months of protests, the determination remains.
Serbian police, sturdyly controlled by the Vucic government, said 36,000 people were present at the beginning of Saturday’s protests. An independent monitoring team that records public gatherings said about 140,000 people attended the rally.
Saturday is St. Vitus Day, a religious holiday and the date of the 14th century battle between the Serbs in Kosovo against the Ottoman Turks, the beginning of hundreds of years of Turkish rule, symbolic.
Some speakers at the student rally evoked the subject, which was also used to fuel Serbian nationalism in the 1990s and later led to the incitement of racial wars after the outbreak of the former Yugoslavia.
Vucic supporters ride in Belgrade
Hours before the student-led rally, Vucic’s party bus took many supporters, from Belgrade in other parts of the country, and many were reading in T-shirts: “We won’t give up on Serbia.” They are joining Vucic’s loyalist camp in the heart of Belgrade, and have lived in tents since mid-March.
In a commercial performance as usual, Vucic presented the capital’s presidential award to people he thought were worth it, including artists and journalists. “People don’t have to worry – the country will be defended and the thugs bring it to justice,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Serbian presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in 2027.
Earlier this week, police arrested several people accused of allegedly planning to overthrow the government and arrested several people in Croatia and theater directors in Montenegro without an explanation.
Serbian railway companies have stopped train services due to alleged bomb threats, and what critics say is obvious bidding is to prevent people from traveling to Belgrade to attend rally.
Authorities took a similar move in March, attracting hundreds of thousands of people ahead of the largest anti-government protests ever in the Balkans.
