Thousands of people took to Serbia over the weekend to mark the latest protests to curb widespread corruption and democratic freedom.
After nearly eight months of persistent opposition to populist president Alexander Vick, demonstrators declared the government “illegal” and clashed with the capital’s riot police.
Police said Sunday that 48 officers were injured and 22 protesters sought medical assistance. Home Minister Ivica Dacic said of the 77 people, 38 remained in custody on Sunday, with most facing criminal charges.
Vucic accused organizers of inciting violence and attacking police officers, calling them “terrorists” “trying to defeat the state.”
Critics accused him of becoming increasingly authoritarian since he first came to power in 2014 and then as president since 2017. They kicked out Slobodan Milosevic 25 years ago after a bloody protest.
What do protesters demand?
Anti-government protests began in November after the canopy of a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia have condemned the tragedy of corruption-fueled negligence in the province’s infrastructure projects.
Following the disaster, Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party were in power in a re-shuffled regime.
The student-led protest then focuses on the need for SNAP elections, instead of the regular elections planned for 2027. Before Saturday’s protest, organizers issued “Ultimate” for VUCIC to announce new votes that day by 9pm (19:00 GMT).
The protesters also emphasize the need to ensure that elections are free and fair through several reforms, including reviewing voter records, equal access to the media for all participants in political life, and measures to prevent vote purchases.
Other demands include reforming the education system, the perception of student organizations known as the plenum – as a corporation, ensuring fair wages for all education workers and respecting university autonomy.
Serbia is officially sought for the European Union to enter, and Vucic maintains a pro-European stance, but critics have denounced his government’s deep ties with Russia and China.
What’s new in the latest round of protests?
Saturday’s rally was one of the biggest rally since Novi’s sad disaster. Authorities have sized the crowd to 36,000, much below the independent estimates from the archives of public gatherings, suggesting that around 140,000 people have gathered.
Unlike previous demonstrations that passed peace, this time the police and protesters engaged in violent clashes. Riot police used tear gas and batons as protesters threw flares and bottles at a line of Belgrade officials.
Vucic has repeatedly argued that the protest is part of a foreign conspiracy to destroy his government without providing evidence. He does not designate anyone hinting at referring to an external state seeking to destabilize Serbia. Vucic said there was “no negotiation” with “terrorists.”
“They consciously wanted to encourage bloodshed. The time has come for accountability,” he said.
Engjellushe Morina, a senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR), said the government was running a “Smear Campaign” aimed at criminalizing protesters.
“The government-supported media story is that they are ‘terrorists’ and they have to deal with it,” Morina told Al Jazeera.
“It’s unclear how far the government will go,” the analyst added that the situation is “both the government and the protesters are determined not to back down this time.”
Have Serb protesters forced government changes before?
yes. They drove out Milosevic, who had led the country since 1989 – 25 years ago, became known as the bulldozer revolution.
On September 24, 2000, a major uprising began on September 24, 2000, when the presidential election took place, but a presidential election occurred in which Milosevic claimed victory.
The protest reached its peak on October 5th, with bulldozers being charged to the construction of Serbian radio and television, and considered a fortress of government propaganda machines.
Milosevic resigned two days later. In 2001 he was arrested on suspicion of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, and was handed over to the International Court of the Hague by the government of Belgrade. His trial began in 2002, but the deterioration of Milosevic delayed that progress. It was found that Milosevic died in 2006 on his phone.
The October 2000 revolution is engraved in the nation’s memory as it is shaken again by protests. However, ECFR fellow Morina said that despite the government’s attempts to portray the protest as foreign-led, the student movement has less international support than the protesters had in 2000, but that Vucic has a stronger grasp of the country’s security infrastructure than Miloshevik.
Therefore, ECFR analysts said protesters have little hope for profit in the short term. “They know very well that this may have to go on for a long time,” she said.
What’s next for the protest movement?
The student-led protests have promised not to back down. “This is not a moment of withdrawal,” he said on Instagram.
After Saturday’s rally, organizers issued a statement to the crowd, urging Serbs to “take their freedom into their own hands.” “The authorities have always had all the mechanisms and always to meet the demands and to prevent escalation,” the statement said.
Vucic said there will be more arrests on his side. Later Sunday, eight people were arrested on charges that included plans to cut off roads and attack state agencies. More arrests could continue.
“We’ll see more arrests happening for attacking police… this is not the end,” the president said, adding, “All individual identification is ongoing.”
According to Morina, arrests could force the move into a temporary lull and reorganize it, but it is unlikely to launch a nationwide protest.
“They’re serious. I don’t think they’ll go away easily,” the analyst said, adding that he predicts protesters will “win at the end.”
“But at what cost, we don’t know yet,” she said.
