Protesters clash with ruling party stewards in Serbia; police intervene

Tensions flared in Užice, Serbia, as citizens and activists attempted to hold their own pre-scheduled gathering on the city square. Their event was intended as a counter-protest to a rally by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which had announced the attendance of President Aleksandar Vučić.

According to Marko Miletić of the Mašina portal, police initially prevented people from reaching the square. However, some managed to arrive, only to be pushed back by police cordons. Miletić reported that SNS stewards then allegedly beat several citizens who refused to leave nearby cafes. Mašina documented the incident with video footage.

"We saw that the security personnel, or rather the stewards of that SNS rally, tried to clear the surrounding cafes on the square itself, and that's where the conflict with the citizens who refused to leave those cafes occurred. Some citizens were beaten, and the police watched until the last moment, when police inspectors arrived and separated those people," Miletić stated.

The situation in Užice is described as currently calm, though a palpable tension remains. The SNS rally is expected to take place, but the exact timing of President Vučić's arrival remains uncertain.

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We saw that the security personnel, or rather the stewards of that SNS rally, tried to clear the surrounding cafes on the square itself, and that's where the conflict with the citizens who refused to leave those cafes occurred. Some citizens were beaten, and the police watched until the last moment, when police inspectors arrived and separated those people.