Dozens of injured and arrested people, tear gas, scuffles with police and gendarmerie cordons, fights, and the destruction of SNS party offices marked the anti-government protests in Serbia that took place at night.
Among those arrested for attacking police officers are three foreign citizens, said Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić. As he explained, according to N1, they are citizens of Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. According to the minister, the 39-year-old Slovenian citizen of Serbian origin came with the Croat and boasts that he has already participated in protests across Europe. The Italian is temporarily living in Serbia, where he works for a multinational company. So much for the lack of influence from foreign factors, Dačić was sharp.
Dačić announced during the night that the police were the target of brutal violence. At today's press conference, he said that 75 police officers were injured, emphasizing that it was a cruel attack on the police and the Serbian state. According to him, more than 2,000 police officers provided security at Thursday's demonstrations.
A number of demonstrators were also injured in clashes with the police, but it is not yet known how many sought medical attention. Many were also injured in fights with supporters of the ruling SNS, many of whom were masked. According to protesters, the police mostly ignored the violence of SNS supporters.
You're from the opposition, right?
Footage of police interventions is spreading on social media, triggering a heated public response. One of them shows a group of police officers in Valjevo beating a man lying on the asphalt, reports Nova.rs.
You're from the opposition, right? is heard in the recording, followed by blows.
Demonstrations in Serbia over the death of 16 people in the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad have been going on for nine months. New protests are expected soon.
