Thousands of Serbians poured into the streets of Novi Sad in impassioned protest after a roofing collapse killed 14 in a railway station last week.
Police in riot gear confronted protests Tuesday night as they erupted around the historic city center. Officers fired tear gas and pepper spray as violence emerged around the City Hall building, especially after some protesters shattered several windows.
Masked men were reportedly throwing stones and other objects into the building despite calls from rally organizers for restraint. Earlier, protesters had hurled eggs, bottles, and bricks at the office of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, SNS.
President Aleksandar Vucic earlier addressed the unrest, saying police were “showing restraint” while warning against the ongoing “horrific, violent protests.” He called on citizens not to use violence, promising that anyone guilty of criminal acts would be punished.
Rally organizers later claimed that some of the rioters were provocateurs, possibly connected to the government and that the same methods had been employed in the past to discredit the opposition by presenting anti-government demonstrations as violent.
As the protests finally began to die, Vucic visited Novi Sad in a surprise move. He briefly appeared before a crowd of supporters outside the party headquarters and shared a photo showing him shaking hands with police officers, supporting law enforcement.
These protests come from serious allegations of corruption, organized crime links, and nepotism against the Vucic administration. The recent tragedy has put extra pressure on the government after a six-year-old girl was among those killed when a 35-meter-long canopy at the railway station fell and injured three others.
Although the station had undergone renovations, officials maintained that the canopy, constructed in 1964, was not part of the recent work. Since the incident, Transport Minister Goran Vesic has resigned, and prosecutors have brought in 48 people for questioning, including Vesic, in a continuing investigation.
