Particle.news

Download on the App Store

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.

Image
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)
Image

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.