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yesterday

Riot Police Break Up Belgrade Rally Demanding Snap Elections

The crackdown follows eight months of student-led demonstrations sparked by a deadly November rail station collapse blamed on government corruption.

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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

  • Tens of thousands of students and anti-corruption activists gathered at Slavija Square on June 28 to press for an early parliamentary vote.
  • Riot police deployed tear gas, pepper spray and stun grenades after some protesters threw flares and projectiles near government buildings.
  • Interior Minister Ivica Dacic reported 48 officers injured, 22 protesters treated medically and 38 of 77 detainees remaining in custody facing criminal charges.
  • President Aleksandar Vucic’s Progressive Party has repeatedly rejected calls for snap elections and accused activists of colluding with unnamed foreign powers.
  • Hundreds of ruling party loyalists maintained a tent encampment in Pionirski Park and staged counter-protests to show support for Vucic’s government.