As a result of months-long public outcry, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that many more anti-government protesters will be detained as a result of violent clashes with police at a sizable nighttime rally calling for early parliamentary elections.
The populist leader charged the organizers of Saturday’s student-led protest in Belgrade of inciting violence and police attacks at a press conference on Sunday.
Vucic accused the protesters of causing “terror” and declared, “There will be many more arrested for attacking police… this is not the end.”
After the rally’s official portion was over, there were verbal altercations. When protesters threw rocks, bottles, and other items at police, they used pepper spray, batons, and shields.
Since taking office more than a decade ago, Vucic has been in charge as first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014 and as prime minister from 2014 to 2017, which has stifled democratic freedoms while allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish. He refutes the accusations.
The largest rally on Saturday was one of the eight consecutive months of demonstrations that resulted from the roof collapse at a Novi Sad train station in November, which was widely believed to have been the result of corrupt government behavior.
Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned following the outcry over the disaster, but Vucic and the ruling party maintained control.
Authorities estimate the crowd to be 36, 000, which is significantly below the archive’s own estimate of 140, 000.
Vucic also criticized “terrorists and those who tried to destabilize the state,” mentioning Vladan Djokic, the head dean of the University of Belgrade, who was a participant in the demonstrations.
Take your own life into your own hands, I say.
Serbia won,” he said. Vucic remarked, “You cannot use violence to destroy Serbia. They had a conscious desire to cause bloodshed. The time for accountability is near.
The current populist government is “illegitimate,” according to protesters, and it bears the brunt of any violence.
On Sunday, police claimed that 22 protesters sought medical attention while 48 officers were hurt. 38 of the 77 people who were detained are still in custody, with the majority facing criminal charges, according to Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.
Before the protest on Saturday, Vucic had requested that he call elections in an “ultimatum,” which he has repeatedly rejected.
Following the rally, the organizers issued a statement to the crowd, urging Serbians to “take freedom into your own hands” and “give them the green light.”
In a statement posted on Instagram, the organizers wrote that “the authorities had all the tools and the means to meet the demands and stop an escalation.”
Vucic reiterated on Sunday that there would not be a national vote until 2026.
Without providing any supporting proof, he has repeatedly asserted that the protests are part of a foreign plot to end his 12-year government.
In recent weeks, more than a dozen people have been detained, a crackdown that has since become routine in the wake of significant demonstrations.