Serbia: Tens of thousands protest in Belgrade against government

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to protest against the government, with police deploying tear gas and stun grenades. The protests saw clashes erupt on the sidelines, involving masked individuals and law enforcement.

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The demonstrators accuse the government of mismanagement and corruption.

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić reported that 23 people were arrested. He stated that masked men, positioned about a kilometer from the main protest area at Slavija Square, threw fireworks towards the police, injuring some officers. Dačić suggested that provocateurs, similar to those seen in past mass protests, may have been involved in instigating violence.

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The police used tear gas and stun grenades against the crowd.

The number of demonstrators was estimated differently by authorities and an observer group, with police reporting 34,300 attendees and the observers counting around 100,000. Protests have been recurring in Belgrade since late 2024, following a tragic incident in Novi Sad where 16 people died when a train station canopy collapsed.

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Some police officers were injured, said Dačić.

Protesters hold the government responsible for the Novi Sad tragedy, accusing it of mismanagement and corruption. They are demanding early elections, as the next regular parliamentary elections are not scheduled until late 2027.

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In the past, provocateurs had carried out similar acts of violence during mass protests, as it later turned out.