Serbia's capital descended into chaos as thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with riot police in Belgrade, demanding the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic and early elections. The unrest followed months of student-led protests and culminated on St. Vitus Day, a symbolic national holiday.
Demonstrators accused Vucic of corruption, authoritarianism, and links to organized crime. Violence erupted after 10 PM as protesters hurled bottles and flares, prompting forceful police retaliation. Dozens were detained and six officers injured. Vucic blamed “foreign powers” for orchestrating the turmoil and declared the protesters had “failed to topple Serbia.”
The government, meanwhile, arrested opposition figures and vowed to use all legal means to restore order. The crisis deepens the standoff between Serbia’s ruling coalition and its citizens, with the opposition demanding snap elections and an end to what they call Vucic’s 12-year autocratic grip on power.
