Hundreds of student protesters blocked public television station in Belgrade overnight on Monday.
The move comes amid heightened tensions in the Balkan nation, which has been rocked by . Another large rally is planned for the weekend.
The students first blocked the building housing the country’s public broadcaster, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) on Monday night.
Riot police used batons in an attempt to disperse the crowd which was blocking an entrance to the TV building. At least one officer was injured in the clashes.
The CNN-affiliated broadcaster N1 reported that the injured officer was in plainclothes and had been struck by a gendarme in riot gear.
Several hundred had gathered again on Tuesday morning after declaring that the blockade would last at least 22 hours.
Why are the protesters blockading the TV station?
University students have been holding almost daily demonstrations since 15 people were killed when a train station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed in November.
The student-led protests have challenged the right-wing populist President tight grip on power.
The leaders of the protest movement have taken aim at Serbia’s public broadcaster for what they view as biased reporting of the demonstrations that favors Vucic’s government.
The president appeared on the main news bulletin on Monday night, although it was not clear if that appearance had sparked the evening blockade.
In that televised interview, Vucic slammed the student-led movement and warned that participants in the rally planned for Saturday would be met with force.
“You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,” he said.
RTS has issued a statement condemning the student blockade, while the reporter interviewing Vucic called the protesters “a mob.”
Despite the blockade, the TV station’s programming was able to continue uninterrupted as some employees had managed to use a side entrance.
What is behind the student-led protests?
Many in Serbia have blamed alleged government corruption and shoddy renovation works for in Novi Sad.
The students have demanded those responsible for the tragedy be held accountable.
Those calls have been widely backed by a broad spectrum of citizens in Serbia.
Tens of thousands of people have attended the rallies since November, as .
Vucic and other officials have accused the protesters of being supported from abroad as part of efforts to divide the country and remove him from office.
The president has also alleged that the demonstrators would resort to violence during the planned rally on Saturday and that many “end up behind bars accused of criminal acts.”
While the rallies since November have largely been peaceful, there have been numerous reported incidents of opponents of the movement attacking protesters.
Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have been in power for more than 10 years. Critics have accused Vucic and the SNS of curbing democratic freedoms in the country, which .
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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