Serbia: Ruling party offices damaged again during Belgrade protests

Some protesters, often wearing balaclavas, have damaged or demolished offices of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS, nationalists) in recent days, notably in Belgrade, Novi Sad (north) and Valjevo (central-east).

After a quiet Sunday evening, several thousand protesters took to the streets of Belgrade and several other cities on Monday evening. A group that had gathered in the center of the Serbian capital headed toward the SNS offices. Once outside, several protesters, their faces hidden, threw stones and stun grenades at the front of the office. Riot police, supported by armored vehicles, quickly intervened and pushed the protesters back, using stun grenades.

Vucic denounces a conspiracy

Protests have been regular in Serbia since the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad train station in November 2024. The tragedy, which left 16 dead, was quickly blamed on corruption by protesters. Initially, the demonstrators, led by a student movement, had called for a transparent investigation into the tragedy. Since May, they have also been calling for early elections. Aleksandar Vucic, who has led Serbia since 2014, first as prime minister and then as president, rejects calls for early elections and denounces the protests as part of a foreign plot to overthrow him.

After Saturday night's demonstrations, in which protesters damaged the SNS offices in Valjevo and the Prosecutor's Office, he addressed the nation on Sunday and promised "very determined action" by the authorities in about a week to end the violence.