On Monday, 30 June night, Belgrade witnessed another outbreak of mass protests. According to the Serbian edition Blic, demonstrators occupied main city avenues and erected barricades. Protesters said they would not lift roadblocks until the authorities organize early parliamentary elections.
Protests swept Belgrade with new vigor were a continuation of violent activities of recent days. On the evening of 28 June, the protest, which started as peaceful, turned into clashes with police. Eight people were hurt during the protest, six of them police officers, the city police chief said. Dozens of protesters were detained, but the number of detained demonstrators has yet to be reported. The protests resumed on 29 June. To the main demands of the protesters was also added the release of all detained the day before immediately.
Serbian civil protests have been going on for several months, from late 2024. The first wave of the protests erupted over the tragedy on Novi Sad railway station’s platform, where 15 people were killed when a concrete canopy collapsed. According to them, the direct reason for what happened lies with the authorities. The activists believe that the tragedy was a direct consequence of corruption, negligence and non-transparency in the sphere of state construction and control.
The protests were initially controlled by students and youth, but subsequently also joined by the representatives of various strata of society, including workers, teachers, activists and opposition politicians. The mass protest had obvious political demands: the president’s resignation, government dissolution, fight against corruption and democratic elections.
