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Police and protesters clash in Serbia as crowds demand president's exit

Police used tear gas and stun grenades after the main rally, and officials said 34,300 attended while organizers put the crowd at around 100,000.

  • Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Belgrade on Saturday, demanding early elections and accountability from President Aleksandar Vucic, led by university students who have spearheaded a nationwide anti-corruption movement.
  • Following a November 2024 rail station disaster that killed 16 people, Students demanded government accountability as protests snowballed into a campaign to force early elections in Serbia.
  • Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic downplayed the rally, citing 34,300 participants, while the European Union warned that democratic backsliding could cost Serbia $1.8 billion in funding.
  • Clashes erupted between protesters and riot police following the rally, while The Council's Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael Flaherty, criticized the government's hard-line tactics and said he "will monitor the situation closely."
  • Students plan to challenge Vucic at approaching elections later this year, hoping to oust the right-wing populist government, though experts say they lack a clear political platform to effectively challenge him.
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136 Articles

Right

"The protest 'You and I, Slavija, because students are winning' drew between 180,000 and 190,000 people. AJS estimates are based on a measured gathering area of 107,000 square meters and an average density of 1.7 people per square meter. This is the second largest protest in Serbia since the fall of Milosevic," the organization reported. At a rally organized in March 2025 by Serbian students, between 275,000 and 325,000 people demonstrated. The …

Center

Forty-seven people have been arrested and several dozen injured, including 17 policemen, in clashes with protesters in Belgrade on Saturday night, following a massive anti-government protest that took place peacefully, local media reports this Sunday.Continue reading...

·Barcelona, Spain
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Center

In Belgrade, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched to demand elections on Saturday, 23 May. This is the largest gathering of the anti-corruption movement that has lasted for more than a year in Serbia, triggered by the deadly collapse of Novi Sad station, just renovated. The incident had claimed the lives of 16 people, on 1 November 2024. - "We will continue until this regime falls": images of the giant demonstration against corruption in S…

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Lean Left

After the peaceful anti-government demonstration of tens of thousands, masked youth set up blockades and clashed with the police.

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Center

In Belgrade, clashes with police broke out on Saturday evening after a peaceful student protest rally on Slavija Square, attended by tens of thousands of people from all over Serbia, demanding early elections and the democratization of the country. The police intervened near Pioneer Park, where supporters of President Aleksandar Vučić had gathered.

·Ljubljana, Slovenia
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WTVB broke the news on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
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