Serbia is sinking into chaos. For the second night in a row, violence has erupted at protests against President Vučić’s government—the question now is, where is Serbia headed? This is the central question in an analysis by the German newspaper Bild.
As Bild reminds readers, for three consecutive nights, violent protests have been breaking out against the government of President Aleksandar Vučić.
“The fact is that the country in the Western Balkans cannot find peace; for more than nine months, it has been shaken by mass demonstrations again and again. In recent nights, the situation has been particularly tense,” the article notes.
In Novi Sad, the country’s second-largest city, protesters reportedly smashed windows at two offices of Vučić’s SNS party and vandalized the premises.
In the capital, Belgrade, Vučić’s supporters reportedly threw pyrotechnics at opponents of the government. Trash cans were set on fire. The atmosphere was described as chaotic.
According to Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, six police officers were injured and 38 protesters were arrested. Vučić stated in a TV appearance that more arrests would follow. He also criticized the police for not reacting harshly enough against the protesters in Novi Sad.
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As on previous nights, government opponents demonstrated in more than 30 locations nationwide in front of SNS headquarters, where they were met by police barricades and supporters of the ruling party. The worrying aspect is that Serbian society appears to be increasingly divided—the situation between the opposing sides is becoming more and more tense.
On the previous night, dozens of people were injured in clashes between different groups of protesters, and also from police force using batons. Vučić had then announced that authorities would “clean up” the streets of the protesters, whom he called criminals.
Background: The protests were sparked by the collapse of the newly renovated Novi Sad railway station canopy on November 1, 2024. Sixteen people died in the tragedy.
Independent experts and the opposition attribute the disaster to negligence and corruption under Vučić’s rule. For more than nine months, protesters have been demanding his resignation and new elections, the article recalls.
The latest protests were further fueled when, as the text points out, supporters of Vučić’s SNS party physically attacked anti-government protesters three days ago—and the police did not react.
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Source: N1 Info, Foto: REUTERS/Djordje Kojadinovic