Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said on Friday evening that six police officers were injured and 38 people were arrested during violent protests in Belgrade, while demonstrations continued in several other cities across the country.
“Public order and peace in Belgrade have been restored,” Dačić told reporters at a late-night press conference. He said, however, that protests were still underway in Niš, Kragujevac and Sremska Mitrovica, and that disturbances had also been reported in Čačak.
According to the minister, protesters came prepared with iron bars, wooden sticks, stones, slingshots, shields, and bottles filled with flammable liquids or frozen water. He said they had also used firecrackers and other pyrotechnics, which at one point caused trees near Knez Miloš Street, close to military facilities, to catch fire.
“In the live broadcasts, it was clearly visible that demonstrators launched a brutal attack on police officers, who were standing calmly until they were forced to respond,” Dačić said. He stressed that there were no supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) present at the protests, but claimed that opposition demonstrators nevertheless attacked SNS offices in several towns, as well as local branches of his own Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).
Dačić stated that two individuals accused of attacking a TV crew from the pro-government tabloid Informer had been arrested. “This shows the true intent of these demonstrations — they were not peaceful gatherings, but violent attempts to provoke clashes,” he said.
The minister underlined that, over the past four days of unrest, a total of 127 police officers have been injured. “All the claims about alleged police brutality fall apart in the face of the numbers,” he said. “If anyone was brutal here, the figures would be the other way around. The reality is clear: police have been attacked and injured in large numbers.”
Dačić reiterated that the police would “continue to safeguard public order and protect all citizens,” and called for calm, warning that law enforcement would not allow further violence.
Meanwhile, pro-government media in Serbia described the protests in even harsher terms. Outlets close to President Aleksandar Vučić used front-page headlines to portray the demonstrators as violent extremists. Informer declared: “They decided to burn Belgrade! Protesters turned terrorists rampaged through the streets – police brutally attacked, even journalists injured.” Alo went with: “Bloody charge of the violent protesters against their own people! Brutally beating police, wanting to turn Serbia into a battlefield.” The daily Novosti ran the headline: “Three days of unprecedented terror by violent protesters: Burning people alive, destroying the city, attacking police and anyone who thinks differently.”
The protests mark the latest escalation of unrest against the government, which opposition groups accuse of corruption and authoritarianism. While the authorities say they are defending public order, critics warn that the heavy-handed response and the rhetoric in state-aligned media are deepening divisions in Serbian society.