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3mo ago

Belgrade Standoff Continues With Street Blockades and Activist Detentions

After a deadly rail station collapse triggered demands for snap elections, students have set up citywide blockades that the government has met with mass arrests.

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Protestors throw flares at riot police after a student-led anti-government demonstration in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday evening. Photo by Andrej Cukic/EPA
People attend a major anti-government rally in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
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Overview

  • Thousands of protesters have maintained blockades across key Belgrade avenues in renewed civil disobedience against President Vucic’s rule.
  • Authorities detained roughly 77 activists over the weekend, with Interior Minister Ivica Dacic saying 38 remain in custody on charges of terrorism and undermining the constitution.
  • Riot police have deployed tear gas, pepper spray and stun grenades around government offices and pro-government camps to clear roads and disperse crowds.
  • Demonstrators, led by university students, continue to reject Vucic’s refusal to call snap parliamentary elections and accuse his Progressive Party of corruption and media suppression.
  • The movement, fueled by outrage over the fatal November rail station collapse, remains the biggest challenge to Vucic’s 12-year administration and complicates Serbia’s EU accession prospects.