About 140,000 protesters rallied in Belgrade, the largest turnout over the past few months, as student-led demonstrations mount pressure on the populist government to call early elections.
The rally was one of the largest in more than half a year student-led actions, which began in November last year after the roof of a train station collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people — a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption.
On Saturday, a sea of protesters filled Belgrade’s largest square and poured into several surrounding streets.
Photo: AFP
The independent protest monitor Archive of Public Gatherings estimated the crowd size at about 140,000, significantly higher than the police estimate of 36,000.
“We want elections,” the crowd chanted, waving Serbian flags and holding banners bearing the names of cities and towns from around the country.
For more than half a year, students have blockaded universities and organized large demonstrations around the country, demanding a transparent investigation into the deaths.
However, in contrast with previous gatherings, which have remained peaceful, clashes erupted between demonstrators and riot police.
Agence France-Presse journalists witnessed police firing tear gas and stun grenades as protesters hurled flares at rows of police in several clashes following the huge gathering in Serbia’s capital.
Police director Dragan Vasiljevic said officers had used batons after coming under attack but denied deploying “chemical agents” to disperse the crowd.
Dozens were detained, while six officers and two people were injured in the violence, Vasiljevic said.
Frustrated by government inaction over the tragedy, students have been calling for elections since last month.
“We show once again that we will not stop,” law student Stefan Ivakovic said. “We will rally as long as it takes until the demands are met.”
Ahead of Saturday’s protest, organizers issued an “ultimatum” for Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to announce elections by 9pm — a demand he had rejected well before the deadline.
As the protest ended, organizers played a statement to the crowd, calling for Serbians to “take freedom into your own hands” and giving them the “green light.”
“The authorities had all the mechanisms and all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation,” the organizers said in a statement on Instagram after the rally. “Instead, they chose violence and repression against the citizens. Any radicalization of the situation is their responsibility.”
Following the clashes, the police minister “strongly condemned the attacks” on officers and said those responsible would be arrested.
Vucic, who had warned of violence before the rally, has repeatedly said the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government.
More than a dozen people have been arrested over the past few weeks, a crackdown that has now become routine ahead of large demonstrations.
On Friday, five people were remanded in custody accused of plotting to overthrow the government, the Serbian Higher Court in Belgrade said in a statement.
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