Authorities issue warning against a repeat of previous night’s disturbances
Anti-government demonstrators established roadblocks in Belgrade and Novi Sad on Sunday evening, following a sizable demonstration calling for fresh elections in Serbia.
Police cautioned organizers that they would not permit further unrest, after protesters engaged in confrontations with officers in the capital the preceding night.
The student-led protest movement was initiated after an overhead concrete structure collapsed at a newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad last November, resulting in 16 fatalities. Activists have sought accountability, attributing the tragedy to mismanagement and corruption.
On Sunday, the student group Blokada FON disseminated a map of blockades across Belgrade and urged opposition legislators to abstain from parliamentary sessions.
Citizens are blocking entire Belgrade in response to police brutality and mass arrests of students. Even the smallest intersections are barricaded.
Yesterday the students declared the Vučić regime illegitimate and called everyone to commence civil disobedience.
— Srdjan Cvijic (@srdjancvijic)
President Aleksandar Vucic, who has characterized the demonstrators as “hooligans paid from abroad,” has declined to resign or schedule new elections. “Serbia has won. You can’t defeat Serbia with violence,” he informed reporters on Sunday.
🇷🇸 More than 300,000 protesters gathered in Belgrade to call for new elections and protest the EU. Students and citizens have brought the city to a standstill, occupying key bridges, roads, and public squares. President Aleksandar Vučić urged protesters to remain peaceful
— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640)
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admonished protesters to “preserve peace and not provoke conflicts with police.” Also on Sunday, officials announced the apprehension of eight individuals suspected of plotting assaults on state institutions from university grounds. In a separate announcement, Dačić stated that 77 people had been taken into custody following the disturbances in downtown Belgrade.