Serbian police deployed armored vehicles and fired volleys of tear gas against tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Belgrade on Friday night, marking the fourth consecutive night of violent clashes triggered by demands for early elections. Riot officers charged demonstrators near the bombed-out ruins of the Yugoslav Army headquarters, a potent symbol of NATO’s 1999 bombing after crowds hurled flares and firecrackers. Streets descended into chaos as protesters overturned dumpsters, set trees ablaze, and faced off against water cannons. Similar confrontations erupted in Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, and Valjevo, though official injury counts remain undisclosed.
The unrest represents a dramatic escalation of nine months of student-led protests that began after a corruption-linked tragedy: the collapse of a renovated train station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. Initially focused on accountability, the movement swelled to historic sizes, drawing hundreds of thousands nationwide. By March 2025, Belgrade saw rallies of 300,000 people, nearly 5% of Serbia’s population demanding justice for infrastructure failures enabled by graft. When prosecutors ignored these calls, protesters shifted tactics, blockading roads for hours and occupying university campuses. The government responded with force in late June, deploying baton-wielding riot police against peaceful crowds and detaining hundreds, a move that radicalized the movement.
Videos circulating on social media reveal a pattern of brutality: riot police beating prone protesters with boots and batons, targeting women and youths, while emergency services allegedly falsify reports to obscure police responsibility. Simultaneously, masked provocateurs clad in black uniforms, dubbed titushki have attacked demonstrators with sticks and flares. Analysts identify these groups as ruling party (SNS) mercenaries, citing criminal figures among them like Djordje Prelić, convicted for the 2009 murder of French football fan Brice Taton. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić denies excessive force, blaming protesters for injuring 75 officers on Friday alone. President Aleksandar Vučić praised police conduct, promising them bonuses while baselessly accusing protesters of being foreign-backed "enemies of Serbia".
Once able to mobilize 60,000 supporters, Vučić’s SNS now relies on paid thugs after losing popular backing. A recent University of Belgrade poll shows the ruling coalition’s support plummeting to 40%, trailing opposition parties who command over 50%. This collapse stems from entrenched corruption; Serbia ranks 105th globally on Transparency International’s index and Vučić’s authoritarian drift, including crackdowns on independent media. With chants of "He’s gone!" echoing in Novi Sad after protesters ransacked SNS offices, the demand for early elections has become non-negotiable. Opposition leader Dragan Djilas condemned the violence: "They beat anyone opposing Vučić, to inflict terror, not justice".
The EU’s enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, called the violence "deeply concerning," stressing that Serbia’s EU candidacy requires respecting assembly rights. UN human rights experts documented a "troubling pattern of repression," including surveillance and arbitrary arrests. As emergency services treated at least 15 injured in Belgrade overnight, reports emerged of ambulances listing wounds as caused by "unnamed persons", not police. With nightly deployments of 3,000 officers failing to quell dissent, Vučić faces a pivotal choice: early elections or civil conflict. As professor Nebojša Vladisavljević warned, "The country is blocked. The only way out is through the ballot box".