Serbian police remove street blockades in Belgrade and make new arrests
as tensions persist
[June 30, 2025]
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police removed street blockades
in the capital Belgrade early Monday that were set up as part of a
protest over a spate of arrests of anti-government protesters after a
massive rally demanding an early parliamentary election.
Thousands of demonstrators placed metal fences and garbage containers at
various locations in Belgrade and elsewhere throughout the country
Sunday evening, including a key bridge over the Sava River in the
capital. Protesters say they plan to return Monday. |
Riot police block anti-government protesters at the end of a rally
pressing for an early election after nearly eight months of almost daily
anti-corruption demonstrations that have shaken the populist government
of President Aleksandar Vucic, in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 28,
2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) |
|
Police said in a statement that a number of people have been
detained without specifying how many. Video posted on social
media showed police vehicles driving at high speed through a
blockade in one Belgrade street and people fleeing in panic.
The blockades are part of persistent dissent against the
government of populist President Aleksandar Vucic that started
after a train station canopy crashed in the country's north,
killing 16 people.
Protesters have demanded justice for the victims of the canopy
collapse in Novi Sad on Nov. 1, which many in Serbia blame on
corruption-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects.
Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday at a student-led
protest in Belgrade to call for the snap vote they hope will
oust Vucic's right-wing government. Groups of protesters clashed
with police after the official part of the rally ended. Dozens
were later detained.
Vucic has refused to call the election, which is scheduled to be
held in 2027. University students and professors are a key force
behind nearly eight months of almost daily protests and Vucic
has accused them of “terror” and attempts to destroy the
country.
Nearly 50 officers and 22 protesters were injured in clashes
late Saturday. Riot police used batons, pepper spray and shields
to charge at demonstrators who threw rocks and other objects at
police cordons. Nearly 40 people face criminal charges over the
clashes, police said.
Authorities also have detained at least eight university
students for alleged acts against constitutional order and
security, accusing them of planning attacks on state
institutions. Protesters have demanded their immediate release.
Critics say Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since
coming to power over a decade ago, stifling democratic freedoms
while allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish, which
he has denied.
Serbia is formally seeking entry to the European Union, but
Vucic’s government has nourished relations with Russia and
China.
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