Police and protesters clash in Serbia as crowds demand president’s exit
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A demonstrator is handcuffed during a student-led protest demanding snap parliamentary elections, in Belgrade, Serbia, on May 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Police fired tear gas and clashed with thousands of protesters in Belgrade demanding early elections and President Vucic's ouster on May 23.
- Protests escalated due to alleged corruption, mismanagement, and a deadly roof collapse in Novi Sad, ongoing for 1.5 years.
- Clashes led to 23 detentions and police injuries; protesters wore "Your hands are bloody" badges, showing deep anger.
AI generated
BELGRADE - Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters in central Belgrade on May 23, as tens of thousands gathered to demand early elections and an end to the more than decade-long rule of Serbia’s populist president, Mr Aleksandar Vucic.
People crowded into Slavija Square, one of the capital’s main junctions, in a fresh eruption of demonstrations that started a year and a half ago when a deadly roof collapse triggered a youth-led movement against alleged corruption and mismanagement.
Officers in riot gear cordoned off Belgrade city hall, about a kilometre away, before sporadic clashes broke out between protesters and police near the presidency building and outside a park where Mr Vucic’s supporters have been camping since March 2025.
Sporadic clashes broke out on May 23 in Belgrade, Serbia, between police and protesters demanding snap parliamentary elections.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades as they pushed back protesters farther down the street. Protesters set fire to bins filled with rubbish.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 23 people were detained, Tanjug news agency reported.
Mr Dacic said some police officers were injured in clashes but gave no details on the severity of the injuries or the number of police officers affected.
Many in the crowds wore badges with red hands reading, “Your hands are bloody,” and banners saying, “The students are winning.”
Anti-government protests started after an awning collapsed at a railway station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad on Nov 1, 2024. Protesters, opposition leaders and rights watchdogs say it was a sign of broader mismanagement.
Mr Vucic and his allies deny accusations of corruption and crackdowns on critics, and say they have taken action to punish those responsible for the roof collapse.
Earlier, a crowd estimated at up to 100,000 people had gathered in Belgrade to demand an end to the more than decade-long rule of Serbia’s populist president, Mr Aleksandar Vucic.
PHOTO: REUTERS
On May 23, before the clashes broke out, Ms Mirjana Nikolic, rector of Belgrade’s University of Arts, told the cheering crowd: “This government is... afraid of those who are defending their dignity and their rights.”
Police estimated the crowd in the square and surrounding streets at 34,300. The Archive of Public Gatherings, a group that monitors public gatherings, put the number at around 100,000.
“I came here to show how many of us there are, how many unhappy citizens there are, and that it is a high time to organise an election to make things better,” Mr Dragan Djuric, a 55-year-old farmer from the town of Sabac, said at the rally. REUTERS
