Belgrade witnesses clash between protesters, government supporters
(MENAFN) Supporters and opponents of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling SNS party clashed in the streets of Belgrade on Sunday, coinciding with the first anniversary of the train station canopy collapse that killed 16 people and triggered nationwide protests.
Many of the protesters were university students demanding accountability for the tragedy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, and accusing the government of corruption and mismanagement. A group led by Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the collapse, gathered outside the Serbian parliament. At the same time, government supporters and students opposed to the protest tactics, including university blockades, assembled at Pionirski Park, where they have been camping since March.
Sporadic clashes erupted between the rival groups despite police efforts to keep them apart.
Reports indicated that bottles and firecrackers were thrown, and one person was arrested.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry blamed “an organized group” among the anti-government protesters for the violence, noting that a tent in Pionirski Park had been set on fire. Protesters from the student blockade movement claimed that pro-SNS activists initiated the attacks by throwing projectiles first.
President Vucic, who has previously suggested that the protests were influenced from abroad, denied that his supporters were involved in the clashes. “The blockaders can’t tolerate democracy or differing opinions,” he said in an interview with Informer TV on Sunday, while also highlighting that several SNS offices have been set ablaze since 2024.
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