Serbian police remove barricades in Belgrade and make new arrests as protesters block roads

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police Monday repeatedly removed street barricades in the capital Belgrade that are part of persistent dissent against the government of populist President Aleksandar Vucic.

Protesters are demanding the release of dozens of university students and others arrested at a massive weekend rally accused of attacking police or plotting to overthrow the government.

Police dismantled metal fences and removed garbage containers blocking traffic in Belgrade’s Zemun district, while several dozen protesters raised their hands in the air and chanted anti-government slogans.

Police officers in riot gear intervened at different locations in the downtown area as the protesters moved from one intersection to another.

Protesters in Zemun later changed tactics and continuously walked over a pedestrian crossing, thus blocking traffic, before setting up the barricades again later in the day.

Scores of people were detained and police were filmed carrying a young man into a police van by his arms and legs.

The protests and blockades first began after a train station canopy collapsed in November, killing 16 people. Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on alleged corruption-fueled negligence in state infrastructure projects.

Thousands of demonstrators halted traffic at various locations in Belgrade and elsewhere throughout the country Sunday evening, including a key bridge over the Sava River in the capital. Police removed those blockades early Monday.

Video posted on social media showed police vehicles driving at high speed through a blockade in one Belgrade street and people fleeing in panic.

Vucic praised police actions in a statement during a visit to Spain, saying, “Citizens should not worry, the state is strong enough to secure law and order.”

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people demanded a snap parliamentary election at a student-led rally they hope will oust Vucic’s right-wing government. Groups of protesters clashed with police after the official part of the rally ended. Dozens were later detained.

Vucic has refused to call an early election, which is scheduled to be held in 2027. University students and professors are a key force behind nearly eight months of almost daily protests and Vucic has accused them of “terror” and attempts to destroy the country.

“While students seek accountability for the tragedy in Novi Sad and democracy through early election, Vucic has stepped up repression,” the European Parliament’s envoy for Serbia, Tonino Picula, said.

In Spain, Vucic thanked Russia for its “understanding” that protests in Serbia present an attempted “color revolution” orchestrated from abroad. Vucic has repeatedly alleged foreign interference but has offered no evidence for the claim.

Critics say Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power over a decade ago, stifling democratic freedoms while allowing corruption and organized crime to flourish, which he has denied.

Serbia is formally seeking entry to the European Union, but Vucic’s government has nourished relations with Russia and China.