In the capital of Serbia, 35 participants of a protest organized by the pro-European coalition "Serbia Against Violence" were detained after clashes with the police.
Protesters were detained in the capital of Serbia
As noted, the police pushed people away from the city centre and detained 35 participants.
Most of the detainees are suspected of calling for a violent change of the constitutional order and violent behaviour at public meetings. Two policemen were seriously injured - one of them will be operated on today.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, accused the demonstrators of an attempt to seize state institutions organized "from abroad".
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that the Serbian government was warned about the riots by Russian special services.
She also compared the events in Belgrade to the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, saying there will be "no new Maidan" in Serbia. In addition, the Serbian prime minister accused the opposition coalition "Serbia against violence" of an attempt to "violently destabilize the state."
Why did protests break out in Belgrade?
Parliamentary and local elections were held in Serbia on December 17, 2023. President Aleksandar Vučić's ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 46.72% of the vote, the opposition Alliance Serbia Against Violence won 23.56%, and the Socialist Party of Serbia won 6.56%. The opposition declared falsifications.
OSCE observers also saw several violations — unfair competition, media bias and voter bribery.
On December 18, protests began in Serbia, demanding to annul the election results. The main organizer of the protests is "Serbia Against Violence".
On December 24, in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, thousands of protesters came to a rally demanding the annulment of the results of the parliamentary and municipal elections, claiming they were falsified.
Protesters tried to break into Belgrade's town hall, where the election commission is. They broke down the door of the building and threw stones at it. The police intervened in the situation, using gas and batons.
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