Student Movement Shakes Serbian Government
Weeks of student-led protests in Serbia have escalated into violent clashes, posing the greatest challenge in a decade to President Aleksandar Vucic’s grip on power.
BELGRADE — Serbia is facing its most volatile political crisis in years, as weeks of student-led protests against President Aleksandar Vucic’s government have escalated into violent clashes in Belgrade and other cities1. The unrest, which began last November after the deadly collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, killing 15 people, has swelled into a broad-based challenge to Vucic’s decade-long hold on power, drawing hundreds of thousands of demonstrators into the streets.
On Wednesday night, riot police fired tear gas at crowds in the capital while masked men wielding batons attacked anti-government activists near the ruling Serbian Progressive Party’s offices2. In Novi Sad, witnesses reported gunshots fired into the air as rival groups clashed. Dozens of people, including police officers, were injured, and video circulated online showing loyalist groups hurling flares, bottles and stones at demonstrators3.
Protest organisers accused Vucic of deliberately provoking violence to justify a security crackdown4. “Tonight, the government tried to finally provoke a civil war,” the main student group leading the movement wrote on social media, vowing to remain in the streets “until victory.” Vucic, in a televised address, denied ordering excessive force and described protesters as “thugs and hooligans” intent on attacking regime loyalists. “There will be no civil war,” he said, promising “no mercy” for those who engage in violence
Behind the street-level confrontations lies an intensifying contest for the future of Serbia. Once tightly controlled by a youthful protest leadership that insisted on nonviolence, the movement has fractured as government resistance stiffened. The Gunpowder Chronicles has reported5 that former gendarmerie commander Goran Radosavljevic, accused of war crimes in Kosovo, has played a role in reactivating disbanded special operations units the so-called “Red Berets” for deployment in the capital. Multiple sources allege that criminal networks with ties to Vucic’s inner circle have been tasked with infiltrating protests to incite unrest.
These allegations follow reports that the president quietly relocated his family abroad for safety, and sought to project international backing through meetings with figures such as Donald Trump Jr., who visited Belgrade earlier this year6. Vucic has also maintained an uneasy balancing act with Moscow, a relationship Western diplomats view with growing suspicion.
The European Union and the United States have urged restraint on all sides and called for dialogue, but have stopped short of direct intervention, a stance that has frustrated many opposition supporters. Vucic has accused the West of stoking the demonstrations, echoing rhetoric from his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and casting the protests as foreign-influenced attempts to destabilise Serbia.
The origins of the movement remain rooted in domestic grievances. The Novi Sad disaster, widely attributed to corruption and official negligence, crystallised anger over years of perceived mismanagement, cronyism and democratic backsliding. Protests quickly spread beyond university campuses, drawing workers, pensioners and professionals into one of the largest sustained challenges to a Serbian government since the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in 20007.
Public opinion has hardened against the ruling party, with Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigning under pressure this january8. Yet Vucic, a former information minister under Milosevic, has shown little inclination to yield, signalling instead that his government is prepared for a prolonged confrontation. Analysts warn that the president is unlikely to risk early elections before 2027, given falling party popularity.
As the weekend approaches, both sides are bracing for larger and potentially more volatile demonstrations in Belgrade. Organisers predict turnout in the hundreds of thousands, while security forces are on high alert. For many Serbians, the stakes go beyond a single protest: the outcome could determine whether the country moves toward greater democratic openness or deepens its slide into entrenched authoritarianism.
In the words of one law student who joined a blockade in the capital, “We’re here to tell our government it’s accountable to us. We are done with corruption.” The question now is whether Serbia’s leadership and its emboldened security apparatus will listen.
Vucic’s Playbook: From Propaganda Minister to Architect of Destabilisation
The explosive attack on the Ibër-Lepenc canal on November 29, 2024, represents far more than a localised act of sabotage; it is a calculated strike against Kosovo’s sovereignty, a direct challenge to regional stability, and a harrowing echo of Serbia’s historical pattern of aggression. As the dust settles and investigations proceed, the overwhelming evidence points to a sophisticated campaign orchestrated by Serbian-backed networks, echoing a decades-old playbook of destabilization and denial. This latest incident is not merely an isolated act but a continuation of Serbia’s longstanding ambition to undermine Kosovo, now bolstered by its alignment with the Kremlin's geopolitical strategy.
Serbia protests turn violent as president clings to power
Aleksandar Vučić accused of trying to ‘provoke a civil war’ after loyalists clash with demonstrators — Financial Times.
Serbian antigovernment protests escalate in third night of clashes
Protests started last year after deadly collapse of rail station roof, with President Vucic accused of corruption. — Al Jazeera.
Serbia's police intervene as ruling party supporters face off against anti-government protesters — FRANCE24.
Dozens injured in Serbia as protesters clash with pro-government supporters
Second night of street violence in several cities after months of anti-government demonstrations boil over — The Guardian.
Exclusive: Vucic Deploys Red Berets as Serbia Braces for Unprecedented Protest
In Belgrade, ahead of a pivotal anti-government rally, insiders reveal President Vucic has mobilised paramilitary forces and criminal groups, bracing for massive protests this weekend. — The GPC Balkan Watch.
Blood Money and Lies: Trump Jr.’s Role in Serbia’s Crackdown
Donald Trump Jr. sells his father’s name like a cheap commodity. In Belgrade, he peddled Vucic’s propaganda, legitimising a brutal crackdown for a rumoured $10 million. — The GPC Balkan Watch.
From the archive, 6 October 2000: Yugoslavia's hated regime crumbles
No one knew the whereabouts of Slobodan Milosevic, the world’s first president to be indicted for war crimes by an international court — The Guardian.