Protesters block streets in Serbian amid calls for early elections
(MENAFN) On Sunday evening, demonstrators opposing the government set up barricades in both Belgrade and Novi Sad after a mass rally where they demanded new elections in Serbia.
Following clashes between protesters and police the previous night in the capital, authorities warned that they would not accept any further disturbances.
The protests, mainly driven by students, started after a tragic accident last November at a newly refurbished railway station in Novi Sad, where a concrete canopy collapsed, resulting in 16 fatalities. The protesters have called for those responsible to be held accountable, accusing officials of corruption and poor management.
The student group Blokada FON shared a detailed map of blocked roads across Belgrade and called on opposition parliament members to boycott legislative sessions.
President Aleksandar Vučić, who described the protesters as “hooligans paid from abroad,” has declined to step down or hold new elections. “Serbia has won. You can’t defeat Serbia with violence,” he declared to the press.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić appealed to the demonstrators to “preserve peace and not provoke conflicts with police.” On the same day, law enforcement announced the arrest of eight individuals suspected of plotting assaults on government institutions from university premises. In a separate update, Dačić revealed that 77 people had been detained following the violent events in central Belgrade.
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