Thousands of protesters, mainly students, arrived in Belgrade ahead of major anti-government rallies, warning of possible unrest. The demonstrations, sparked by a deadly railway station collapse, pose a serious challenge to President Vucic, as authorities hint at using force to maintain order.
In a sign of the potential for unrest, President Alexandar Vucic's outgoing prime minister, who has already submitted his resignation over the protests, made a veiled threat to use force to suppress rallies expected to be among the biggest for years.
Live broadcasts showed people cheering and waving Serbian flags as hundreds of students entered Baric, a community inside the Belgrade city limits. Similar student columns were seen entering other Belgrade suburbs to meet in the city centre.
The rallies are expected to be the biggest since near daily protests began following the deaths of 15 people when a roof at a railway station collapsed on Nov 1 in the northern city of Novi Sad, a disaster opponents blame on corruption under Vucic.
Students, teachers, farmers, and workers have joined the demonstrations in a major challenge to Vucic, a populist, in power for 12 years as prime minister or president.
Throngs of Vucic loyalists have arrived in Belgrade this week to camp near his office in the centre of the city. They brought tractors overnight to surround their camp.
In a televised address, outgoing Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said police would intervene in case of violence:
"The state has ... the apparatus of force, please do not provoke it," he said.
Vucic's office said the president would address the nation at 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT).
Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the dominant Serbian Orthodox Church, called for "everyone, without exception, to reject violence".
Last December, students issued a set of demands that included the release of documents related to the railway station disaster and accountability for those responsible.
Prosecutors have charged 13 people over the disaster, and the government has announced an anti-corruption campaign.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troo...
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, said the country will expand imports from the U.S. to further reduce tariffs on Bangladeshi goods, part...
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Hamas after reports that hostages in Gaza City have been moved above ground to serve as huma...
Polish authorities have detained two Belarusian nationals after a drone was spotted flying over government buildings and the Belweder Palace in Warsaw...
Poland’s interception of low-cost Russian drones has exposed NATO’s reliance on billion-dollar defences, fuelling urgent debate on how the allianc...
Serbian police used tear gas and stun grenades Friday to disperse protesters at a university campus in Novi Sad demanding early elections and the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Tens of thousands of people staged a silent march in Belgrade on Monday (September 1) to honour the 16 victims of a collapsed roof at a renovated railway station, while calling for snap elections aimed at unseating President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling SNS party.
Anti-government demonstrations in Serbia intensified on Saturday (August 16), as police deployed teargas and crowd-control vehicles to disperse protesters in Belgrade.
Serbian police used teargas and crowd control vehicles in Belgrade on Friday evening to disperse anti-government protesters who threw firecrackers and flares at officers, marking a sharp escalation in the nine-month-long demonstrations.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Finland is closely watching Russia’s ongoing Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic and Barents Seas, Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) commander Janne Jaakkola said on Monday.
European authorities have intercepted more than 2,400 shipping containers at Greece’s port of Piraeus in the EU’s largest-ever container seizure, valued at around €250 million ($294m).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel will not carry out further strikes in Qatar following last week’s attacks on Doha, which targeted senior Hamas officials.
Leaders from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and 22-member Arab League met in Doha on Monday, concentrating on the impact of recent attacks on Qatar and the wider Middle East, and calling for coordinated measures to preserve stability and support ongoing mediation efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops alongside federal agencies to tackle rising crime in Memphis, Tennessee.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment