Political protests in Serbia turn violent with clashes in country's biggest cities

Misha Savic, Bloomberg News on Aug 13, 2025

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Months of anti-government rallies in Serbia lapsed into violence again as supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic clashed with his opponents in three of the Balkan country’s biggest cities.

The rival groups hurled flares, rocks, firecrackers and bottles at each other in the capital of Belgrade, the northern city of Novi Sad and in Nis in the south as police struggled to keep them apart. Nine months of persistent anti-government rallies have become the biggest challenge to more than a decade of Vucic’s rule, with pressure mounting on him to call snap elections.

At least 16 police officers were injured, including two seriously, and more than 120 supporters of the ruling party, Vucic told reporters in Belgrade. He accused the anti-government groups of attacking offices of his ruling Progressive Party and vowed the authorities will persecute “those who tried to trigger a civil war” in what he described as a “well-organized attack.”

Broadcasters aired footage showing the president’s supporters using fireworks to repel the protesters, which triggered the exchange that escalated late Wednesday.

“They brutally attacked offices of the SNS, there are many injured citizens,” Vucic said, referring to his party by its Serbian-language acronym. Thousands of his supporters were “ready to defend” the premises, he said.

The anti-government movement started last year after a deadly incident at a railway station in Novi Sad, when a concrete canopy collapsed, crushing 16 people to death. Protests demanding accountability snowballed into a widespread push against Vucic and the government.

In power for almost 12 years, Vucic repeatedly resorted to early elections to consolidate power, but this time he has rejected the protesters’ demand for a snap ballot, adding a vote will be held before its due in 2027.