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Serbia in turmoil: protests escalate – six police officers injured!
Violence escalates in Serbia: injured police officers and arrests during protests. A look at the background and developments.
Serbia in turmoil: protests escalate – six police officers injured!
Protests against the government continue in Belgrade. On August 16, 2025, a date that further inflamed tensions in Serbia, serious riots broke out in which six police officers were injured and 38 protesters were arrested. This latest unrest marks a new high point after protests enjoyed relative calm over the past nine months. Confrontations between government opponents, government supporters and the police are currently increasing every day.
The violence has its roots in an incident in the small town of Vrbas in Vojvodina, where supporters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) confronted protesters. Fireworks, stones and ice bottles were used in these clashes. However, the authorities interpret the events differently, which further fuels the anger of SNS opponents. Dramatic scenes occurred in Valjevo, where a 16-year-old was brutally beaten by several police officers.
Shocking measures and political reactions
A video shows about 20 young people kneeling in a police station, facing the wall and with their hands behind their backs. President Aleksandar Vučić is trying to distance himself from the dictator image, but has brought many of the prime minister's powers under his own control. Prime Minister Djuro Macut has remained largely invisible since mid-April.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic is under increasing pressure as criticism of his leadership style is voiced within his party. Goran Trivan from the Socialist Party (SPS) is calling for urgent reforms and has already brought up the possibility of parliamentary elections. The background to the political crisis is the tragic collapse of the station canopy on November 1st of the previous year, in which 16 people died. This incident is attributed to corruption in renovation works and has severely shaken trust in the government.
The developments in Serbia show how deep the dissatisfaction with the government is. The daily clashes and increasing violence suggest that the political tensions are not new, but their intensity is worrying. Observers fear that the situation could escalate further if the government does not act decisively and respond to the protesters' demands.