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Riot Police Separate Rival Crowds in Belgrade as Anniversary Protests Escalate

Police report 37 detentions following clashes in Belgrade.

Serbian riot police separate rival crowds of opponents and loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic, a day after tens of thousands of people joined a huge rally in the northern city of Novi Sad marking the first anniversary of a train station disaster there that killed 16 people, in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Serbian police guard a camp of President Aleksandar Vucic's loyalists as Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of 16 victims of a train station tragedy in northern Serbia a year ago, launched a hunger strike surrounded by anti-government protesters in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Serbian riot police separate rival crowds of opponents and loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic, a day after tens of thousands of people joined a huge rally in the northern city of Novi Sad marking the first anniversary of a train station disaster there that killed 16 people, in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
Loyalists of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic shout slogans during protest in front of the parliament building, in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Overview

  • Tens of thousands gathered in Novi Sad on November 1 to mark one year since the station roof collapse that killed 16, observing 16 minutes of silence and demanding accountability.
  • Confrontations flared in Belgrade and Novi Sad as anti-government demonstrators and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic threw flares, with police moving in to keep the groups apart.
  • The Interior Ministry said 37 people were detained on Monday on charges that included violating public order during an unannounced gathering.
  • Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the collapse, began a hunger strike in Belgrade seeking accountability for the victims, the release of detainees, and early elections.
  • Vucic backers have maintained a police-guarded tent camp outside parliament since March, a continuing flashpoint as protesters press for transparent investigations and resist nationalist influence flagged by EU lawmakers.