Clashes Rock Serbia as Protests Against Vucic Enter Second Day

Serbia has seen a second night of violent clashes between supporters and opponents of President Aleksandar Vucic, as months of student-led protests boiled over into street battles across the country.

In Novi Sad on Wednesday evening, government supporters and antigovernment demonstrators hurled flares, rocks and bottles at each other before riot police intervened. Similar confrontations were reported in Belgrade, Kraljevo, Nis, Cacak and Kragujevac, with police firing tear gas in some areas to break up crowds.

Interior Minister Ivica Dacic called for a “return of law and order,” while Vucic branded antigovernment protesters “thugs.” Protesters countered by accusing pro-government groups of instigating attacks, including in Vrbas and Backa Palanka.

The protests first erupted in November after a train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad killed 16 people, sparking accusations of corruption and government negligence. Since then, student-led marches have drawn hundreds of thousands of people nationwide, demanding early parliamentary elections — something Vucic has flatly refused.

Government officials and pro-Vucic media have repeatedly painted protesters as “terrorists,” though demonstrations had largely remained peaceful until this week’s clashes.

Police reported dozens injured in the confrontations, including 16 officers, and confirmed several arrests in Vrbas. Commissioner Dragan Vasiljevic told state broadcaster RTS that protesters “came to attack” government supporters outside party offices, but demonstrators insist it was the other way around.

At a press conference alongside Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vucic claimed the protests were “very violent and were violent last night,” reinforcing his hard line.

The unrest comes as Serbia balances between its official EU membership bid and its close ties with Russia and China. Vucic, who has ruled for 13 years, faces mounting criticism at home and abroad for undermining democratic freedoms.