MassingMo in Belgrade: Vucic angry, 77 arrests after riots!

MassingMo in Belgrade: Vucic angry, 77 arrests after riots!

Belgrad, Serbien - in Belgrade, Serbia, there was massive protests against the government of President Aleksandar Vučić on Saturday. The demonstrations, which brought about 140,000 people to the streets, were organized by students and directed primarily against corruption and the predicament, which led to a tragic misfortune last year. President Vučić rejected the demands for early elections and described the organizers of the protests as "terrorists", while after the official end of the rally at 10:00 p.m. with tear gas and trimmings against the demonstrators, who reacted with stones and Bengalos. According to vienna.at, there were collapsing that led to 48 police officers being injured and 77 demonstrators were arrested, 38 of whom remained custody.

The causes of the protests include growing dissatisfaction with the government and a serious incident in Novi Sad in November 2024, in which 15 people died in collapsing a station vord for the collapse. These events have triggered a wave of protests that have been taking over half a year. The greatest demonstration took place in March 2025 when over 300,000 people took the street against the government. The interchangeability of the power and the refusal of new elections now lead to an escalation of the situation, which is increasingly accompanied by violence, as has recently been accompanied by the protests on Slavija Platz.

Criticism of the government and demands for change

The participants of the protests not only demanded new elections, but also an end to corruption in the government. These demands were clearly formulated in an ultimatum to President Vučić, who should make a decision by Saturday evening at 9:00 p.m. Otherwise, the demonstrators threatened with "civil disobedience". Vučić, who has been in power since 2012 and controls the media and the judiciary, holds its position and is planning the next parliamentary elections at the end of 2026. Critics accuse him of autocratic tendencies, since opposition voices are often defamed and intimidated.

The Serbian President commented on the protests and explained that he had understood the message of the demonstrators, however, emphasized that a change was only possible through elections. He also blamed "foreign powers" for the unrest. According to Tagesschau, the protests are shaped by a feeling of disappointment with current conditions and years of mismanagement. The Interior Ministry reported 107,000 participants for the protests on Saturday, while the police stated a significantly lower number of around 36,000

reactions to violence

The violence during and after the protests makes it clear how tense the situation in Serbia is. The police used pepper spray and tear gas to drive apart the applied demonstrators. Several dozen people were injured, both on the part of the demonstrators and the police. This escalation has aroused concern that the government could possibly try to suppress the protest movement with violence. Experts and leading personalities, such as the Archbishop of Belgrade, asked dialogue to defuse the situation. ZDF continued to report on the support of government critics and the worrying signs.

The situation in Serbia remains tense, while both the protesters and the government remain on course. The coming days and weeks will be decisive for whether a dialogue between the parties will come about or whether the tensions continue to escalate.