Clashes broke out in central Belgrade late on Saturday after a peaceful student protest escalated when masked individuals and people wearing hoods charged at gendarmerie forces. Loud explosive sounds were heard, and at least two young men were detained, local media reported.
The protest, initially organized by students demanding new elections and denouncing the government as illegitimate, took a violent turn after demonstrators attempted to move toward Pionirski Park and the Serbian parliament. Police responded with tear gas and physical force, pushing the crowd back.
N1 television reported that some citizens raised their hands in the air in a gesture of non-violence, while others threw flares. At one point, skirmishes broke out among the protesters themselves.
Veterans who had earlier pledged to maintain order withdrew after students officially ended the protest and removed their vests. Despite police warnings delivered via megaphone around 22:45 local time to disperse or face intervention, many protesters remained near the Constitutional Court and the Faculty of Law.
Protesters shouted slogans against the government and the gendarmerie, including “Drop your shields” and chants accusing authorities of betraying Kosovo. Some demonstrators linked arms in front of the police line, while one woman sat down in the middle of the street.
There were no signs the crowd intended to leave, according to N1 reporters on the scene. Gendarmerie vehicles were positioned nearby as a precaution.