Serbian riot police clashed with protesters in Novi Sad late on Friday, firing tear gas and pushing back crowds outside the University of Novi Sad after demonstrators hurled stones, fireworks and other objects, according to witnesses and local media.
The protest, called by students who have been blocking faculties in the city for days, began peacefully but turned violent after nightfall. Police said 11 officers were injured in the unrest, while demonstrators accused the gendarmerie of firing rubber bullets and using excessive force.
Videos published by independent outlets such as N1 and Nova showed chaotic scenes as police charged demonstrators and seized phones from students inside the rectorate building. Rights groups said several journalists were assaulted, including reporters from the weekly Vreme and the portal 021.rs.
State-aligned media, however, accused protesters of trying to storm the philosophy faculty and attempting to set it on fire with Molotov cocktails. President Aleksandar Vucic praised the police response and said dozens of people would be arrested. “For 12 minutes, our gendarmerie endured terror — stones, torches, metal bars,” he said in a late-night address.
Opposition figures countered that the crackdown was disproportionate. “Vucic smiled while police beat citizens in Novi Sad,” opposition politician Marinika Tepic said.
The clashes sparked solidarity rallies in other Serbian cities, including Nis, Kragujevac and Novi Pazar, where protests passed peacefully.
The European Union has not yet commented on the latest violence. Vucic, meanwhile, lashed out at European lawmakers who attended the demonstrations, calling them “scum” and vowing they would be prosecuted under Serbian law.
The protests, among the largest in Serbia in years, add to political tensions as opposition parties press for early elections and accuse the government of eroding democracy and media freedoms.