Serbia's police fire tear gas as they clash with anti-government
protesters in downtown Belgrade
[August 16, 2025]
By DUSAN STOJANOVIC
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Police fired tear gas at anti-government
protesters in downtown Belgrade as they clashed for the third day on
Friday in the Serbian capital and other cities amid reports of police
brutality and excessive use of force during the unrest.
The anti-government rallies were held on Friday night across Serbia
under the slogan: “Let’s show them we are not a punching bag." Police
deployed armored vehicles in parts of the capital as protesters faced
off against riot police separating them from pro-government supporters
in downtown Belgrade.
Groups of protesters, most of them wearing facemasks, fired flares and
threw rocks and eggs at the riot police, who charged them while mounted
on armored vehicles in the wide boulevard in front of the Serbian
government headquarters.
Some people were seen getting first aid, but there were no immediate
reports of how many were injured.
Thrash cannisters were rolled onto the streets, some set on fire. The
chaotic scenes in Belgrade were repeated in similar clashes in several
other cities and towns.
Earlier Friday, Serbian police said they detained hundreds of
demonstrators who took part in anti-government protests throughout the
country this week.
The three days of clashes between the police and loyalists of autocratic
President Aleksandar Vucic on one side and the anti-government
protesters on the other have left dozens injured or detained. The unrest
marked a serious escalation of more than nine months of largely peaceful
demonstrations led by Serbia’s university students that have shaken
Vucic’s firm grip on power in the Balkan country.
The protests that rattled Vucic first started in November, after the
collapse of a renovated train station canopy in Serbia’s north killed 16
people. Many blame the tragedy on alleged corruption-fueled negligence
in state infrastructure projects.
Vucic praised the police for their conduct during the latest
demonstrations, saying he will propose additional bonuses for the
officers. Speaking with state television broadcaster RTS, he repeated
his claim that the protests were inspired by the West with the intention
of toppling him from power. He has not provided any evidence for the
claim.
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Serbian gendarmerie officers guard a street during an
anti-government protest near the Serbian Progressive Party office in
Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Several social media posts from this week show baton-wielding riot
police beating people to the ground and then kicking them with their
boots before they were handcuffed. The apparent targets were often
women and young people.
Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic denied Friday that police
used excessive force, blaming the demonstrators for allegedly
attacking the officers, who were protecting themselves with riot
shields.
“The police were massively and brutally attacked without any
provocation. There were violent attempts to breach the cordons,”
Dacic said. “Last night, 75 police officers were injured, and
several vehicles were damaged. Those who spread lies about police
brutality should comment on this fact.”
Opposition leaders called for Dacic to be removed from office.
“They are beating up people on the streets,” said opposition leader
Dragan Djilas. “They also beat up politicians, literally anyone who
opposes Aleksandar Vucic, with the clear goal of inflicting serious
bodily harm on them.”
Another social media video purported to show several young detainees
kneeling with their faces to the wall as police officers stood to
attention behind them. Some of the apparent detainees had
bloodstains on their backs.
The EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos earlier this week
said the reports of violence at the protests were “deeply
concerning.”
Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, but Vucic has maintained
strong ties with Russia and China. The Serbian president has faced
accusations of stifling democratic freedoms while allowing organized
crime and corruption to flourish. He has denied this.
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