Overview

• Gendarmerie and police forcibly removed thousands from the University of Novi Sad, deploying tear gas, batons and stun grenades, according to independent outlet N1.
• Reports say the intervention began after objects were thrown at officers posted near the Faculty of Philosophy, with Reuters citing flares launched by demonstrators.
• President Aleksandar Vučić reported 11 injured police officers, labeled protesters as foreign-directed and rejected calls for early elections.
• The faculty turned into a focal point after a government-aligned dean, under police protection, compelled students to end a nine-month occupation of the building.
• The nationwide movement, described as the largest and longest since Yugoslavia’s breakup, is pressing for snap polls and accountability for the November 2024 canopy collapse that killed 16 people.