Violence breaks out at new Serbia protests

Serbian security forces deployed armored transporters, mounted police, and dogs as anti-government protesters gathered in downtown Belgrade on Wednesday evening. Police used tear gas with scuffles breaking out in Belgrade and Serbia’s second city of Novi Sad. Images from the city showed fire in Novi Sad city hall. In Nis, the country’s third-largest city, protesters threw rocks at the ruling party headquarters.

Protesters also pelted the security forces with rocks, flares and empty bottles in Belgrade. Some of them threw gas canisters back at the police. As the crowd grew in size, riot police pushed the protesters away from the parliament building where the Wednesday rally started. Large groups of riots police, including vehicles belonging to special anti-terror squads, were noticeable in the city. Some protesters carried crosses and other religious symbols and urged both the police and other protesters to refrain from violence, according to images from the scene broadcast by the regional N1 broadcaster.

A video posted by the regional investigative network BIRN showed Belgrade demonstrators lighting flares before being pushed away by the police.

The unrest follows a rally prompted by the government’s attempt to reimpose quarantine measures as the country faces a rise in coronavirus cases. Protesters briefly managed to breach the parliament building in the hours-long unrest that stretched into the early morning hours on Wednesday.

Opposition leaders, including far-right politician Bosko Obradovic and popular actor and politician Sergej Trifunovic, were injured after attempting to join the Wednesday protests. Some of the participants interviewed by N1 said they believed pro-government provocateurs were embedded in the crowd.

While the protests have no clear leadership, some of the requests put forward by the protesters include replacing the members of the emergency coronavirus council. The body, which also includes Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Health Minister Zoran Loncar, imposed draconian lockdown measures in the earlier stages of the outbreak but then lifted all coronavirus restrictions in the run-up to the recent parliamentary election. The current wave of protests started yesterday when strongman leader Aleksandar Vucic announced the body would reimpose lockdown.

Anti-corruption network KRIK posted videos showing police forces advancing on the crowd.

Vucic had insisted on pushing ahead with the June 21 parliamentary election, which saw the pro-Vucic parties score a resounding victory. Major sporting events, including a tennis tournament and a top-level football game, were also held in front of thousands of fans. Many also accuse the government of fudging official data and downplaying the risk in order to hold the election.

Earlier on Wednesday, Vucic said that the curfew would “probably” not be reinstated. He also said he was postponing a diplomatic trip to France for tomorrow morning to show that he was not afraid of the unrest.

More to come…

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/violence-breaks-out-at-new-serbia-protests/a-54098931?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf