Thousands of students lead anti-government and anti-police brutality protest in Belgrade, Serbia, demanding accountability and snap elections, September 8, 2025. Image: AP photo/ Darko Vojinovic.
(The Post News) – Anti-government protests continued in Serbia on Monday as thousands of students took to the streets of Belgrade. Demonstrators are demanding a snap election to remove President Aleksandar Vučić, particularly following police use of force to disperse crowds during a protest in Novi Sad on Friday.
The peaceful march in Belgrade follows clashes between university students and baton-wielding police officers. According to authorities, masked protesters launched “massive attacks” using flares and other objects, prompting police to respond with tear gas and stun guns. Vučić has not disclosed the number of civilians injured, though he did confirm that 11 police officers were hurt. This is not the first violent incident reported during the ongoing protests.
Last month, political science student Nikolina Sindjelic said she was “beaten and sexually harassed” while in police custody after being arrested at a demonstration. Standing outside the Belgrade police station on Monday, Sindjelic told the cheering crowd, “They are beating us because they are afraid of the truth… No force can break us.”
The protests originally erupted over corruption allegations directed at Vučić and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after they failed to provide accountability following the November 2024 railway station collapse. The recently renovated station’s roof collapsed, killing 16 people. Public outrage centered on the lack of arrests or answers, with citizens, opposition parties, and human rights groups accusing the pro-Russian president of corrupting the investigation, having ties to criminal organizations, and stifling press freedom.
Instead of addressing the protesters’ demands, Vučić accused the public of terrorism and acting against the interests of the Serbian government, increasing police presence and intensifying crackdowns.
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