Serbia continues to be gripped by a deep political crisis, with antigovernment protesters and supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic holding parallel rallies across the Balkan country.
Both sides held events on Saturday, more than 10 months into sustained protests against the right-wing populist government that were triggered by the collapse of a railway station roof in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people.
At first, the student-led protest movement sought justice for the victims and an investigation into the corruption said to have caused the tragedy. However, its demands then increased to calling for Vucic’s resignation.
Vucic, who dismisses the protesters as “terrorists”, has used his Serbian Progressive Party to recently organise counterdemonstrations in a bid to maintain his firm grip on power.
No major incidents were declared on Saturday, but brief scuffles were reported in the capital, Belgrade, where antigovernment demonstrators were pushed away by riot police as Vucic joined some of his supporters.
Earlier in the week, thousands gathered in Belgrade to protest against the government.
Addressing the crowd, Nikolina Sindjelic, a student who was arrested during protests in August, claimed she was mistreated in detention.
“They beat us because they are afraid of us,” she said, standing outside the headquarters of a special police unit.
“They have hit us and they will hit us because they know it is all over [for them],” Sindjelic added.
The government’s crackdown on the protest movement has increased in recent weeks, with demonstrators accusing the police of brutality.
So far, more than 100 university professors have been sacked by the authorities and replaced with Vucic loyalists.
“We have a problem in Belgrade,” European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said during a trip to Austria on September 8.
“The people have the right to protest,” Kos noted. “The severe violence on the streets of Serbia, the many acts of vandalism, must stop. We expect the police to act appropriately and respect fundamental rights.”
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