Tens of thousands rally in Serbia demanding elections

BELGRADE: Tens of thousands of demonstrators massed in central Belgrade Saturday to renew calls for early elections that grew out of the anti-corruption movement sparked by a deadly rail station disaster.

Since the station canopy collapse in November 2024 in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people, calls for a transparent investigation into what happened have snowballed into a push for early polls.

Yelling the movement's signature slogan, "The students are winning," to the din of drums and whistles, crowds streamed through the city to Slavija Square in the centre. Large banners hanging from trees, T-shirts, badges and stickers also bore the slogan.

Later Saturday, as the rally broke up, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. Masked men threw stones, bottles and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas.

An AFP journalist saw several people arrested and gendarmes' vehicles kept the crowds away from the presidential and parliament buildings.

"All those who, this evening after the end of the public gathering at Slavija, attacked police officers who were securing the event will be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law," said a statement from the prosecutors' office.

"The scenes we witnessed tonight... are scenes that are not good for Serbia, scenes that have saddened every citizen of our country," Serbian President Alexander Vucic said in a post on Instagram.

"They will not change anything with this," he added.

- 'Change must come' -

Earlier Saturday, marchers gathered for the rally carrying Serbian flags or ones representing their university faculty. Other people, who had travelled from around the country held banners with the names of their towns.

"The goal of today's protest is for all of us to gather again and to make it clear to people that we are still here, that we are fighting and working, that we have not and will not stop," 24-year-old architecture student Andjela told AFP.

Students in high-vis tops served as stewards while war veterans and bikers were also present to protect the crowd.

Police chief Dragan Vasiljevic told journalists the force estimated the turnout at 34,000. No independent estimate was available.

"Today, a clear message is being sent," said another marcher, pensioner Zoran Savic.

"Change must come, Serbia must become a democratic state, the rule of law must be present for everyone, meaning the rule of law equally for everyone," he said.

"And Serbia must be part of the democratic, European community."

- Election demand -

The protests have not stopped since the Novi Sad disaster, with one demonstration in March 2025 bringing as many as 300,000 together.

The students leading the movement hope Saturday's demonstration will relaunch their campaign to push nationalist president Vucic to call early elections. Vucic, who regularly raises the issue, suggested on Thursday that they could take place in autumn.

While the protests have passed off peacefully for the most part, some have been marred by clashes in recent months, with several protesters saying they were attacked by masked government supporters.

On Friday, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner warned that Serbia's rights situation had worsened, citing attacks on activists and journalists, shrinking civic space and alleged police abuses of protests.

"After a year and a half of protests, people have not given up and have not lost their strength," said Ivan Milosavljevic, a demonstrator who came from eastern Serbia.

"The strength of the protests can be seen in the number of people here today. We will continue until this anti-people regime is removed."