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Serbian Police Forcefully Clear Novi Sad University Campus

The crackdown follows months of student-led unrest triggered by a fatal station canopy collapse.

Overview

  • N1 reported that gendarmerie and police expelled thousands from the University of Novi Sad using tear gas, batons and stun devices.
  • President Aleksandar Vučić said late Friday that 11 officers were injured, and officials did not provide figures for injured demonstrators.
  • Media accounts said the operation began after unknown individuals threw objects at officers, and Reuters reported that demonstrators fired flares.
  • The Philosophical Faculty had been occupied for nine months before a pro-government dean forced students out under police protection, making it a current flashpoint.
  • The nationwide movement has featured near-daily rallies and campus occupations pressing for early elections, which Vučić rejects while labeling the protests foreign-directed.