Overview

• Thousands gathered at the University of Novi Sad, chanting for elections as riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to clear the campus after scuffles and flares.
• Friday’s protest centered on a university building that reporting says was taken over by government loyalists and police more than a week earlier.
• President Aleksandar Vucic has refused to call early elections and has branded demonstrators as terrorists, alleging foreign orchestration without providing evidence.
• There were no immediate reports of injuries from the scene, while Vucic later said 11 police officers were hurt, and the extent of injuries among protesters was not confirmed.
• The movement was triggered by the November 2024 collapse of a renovated Novi Sad railway-station canopy that killed 16, fueling broader claims of corruption and a crackdown that has included arrests and sackings of academics.