Riots break out in student protest in Serbia

(MENAFN) Violence erupted at a student protest in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, on Friday evening. Demonstrators threw stones and bottles at police outside the Philosophy Faculty of the University of Novi Sad, prompting officers to respond with tear gas.

The students are protesting government corruption and demanding accountability following the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station last November, an incident that killed 16 people. Demonstrations have taken place in Belgrade and other cities for months, with students also blocking access to educational institutions.

Friday’s confrontation occurred after students insisted that police leave the Philosophy Faculty campus, where officers had been stationed last month by dean Milivoj Alanovic. The activist group Blokada FFUNS, responsible for organizing the blockade, accused Alanovic of abusing his authority.

Serbian media reported multiple detentions outside the campus, while Blokada FFUNS said that one student was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet.

Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic defended the intervention, stating officers acted after reports of “an attack” on campus security. “All citizens must respect the laws and regulations of this country,” he added.

The unrest has already led to the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and the arrest of several officials, including a former trade minister, on corruption charges. President Aleksandar Vucic claimed that the protests were influenced from abroad and condemned what he described as “violence disguised as activism.”

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