Overview

• Anti-government demonstrators and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic held parallel rallies across Serbia on Saturday, with police separating the camps and only brief scuffles reported in Belgrade.
• The movement began after the Nov. 1, 2024 Novi Sad rail station canopy collapse that killed 16 and has grown into nationwide demands for accountability and early elections.
• Authorities have intensified a crackdown with reports of police brutality and arbitrary arrests, while more than 100 university staff have been dismissed and replaced by loyalists.
• Vucic has refused to call early elections and, in a new claim reported by TASS, said foreign special services spent $4 billion to destabilize Serbia, offering no evidence.
• Tanks rolled through Belgrade ahead of a Sept. 20 military parade, heightening concerns among protesters as EU officials express worry about rule-of-law and civil rights in Serbia.