Protesters have clashed with police in Belgrade in a third consecutive night of violence triggered by plans to reintroduce strict lockdown measures to tackle a surge in coronavirus infections.
The protests “began peacefully on Tuesday evening and included students and families, angered by a move to re-impose a weekend curfew”, the BBC reports. But “Wednesday’s rally saw protesters hurl flares and other objects at police”, who responded with tear gas in “choatic scenes” in front of the Serbian capital’s parliament, adds The Guardian.
“Scores of police officers and protesters were injured and dozens of civilians were arrested” as some activists attempted to force their way into the parliament building, says Radio Free Europe.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In an apparent bid to quell the violence, President Alexander Vucic announced on Wednesday that the planned curfew was to be scrapped.
But the protests have become linked to a wider pro-democracy movement in Serbia, with demonstrators who took to the streets once again last night accusing Vucic of curbing freedoms in the Balkan state.
The unrest follows demonstrations in May during which protesters from the “Citizens’ Resistance” movement told the Voice of America news agency that “we think that this is a dictatorship we are living in nowadays”.
This week’s round of unrest has been marked by “brutal political violence”, with videos circulating on social media showing police beating protestors.
A man who “became the public face of Serbian frustration on the first night of the unrest” has “accused police of using nightsticks, tear gas, and other weapons against unarmed protesters”, Voice of America reports.
Video footage of the man, identified as Petar Djuric, went viral after “he announced to a live camera through tears of anger that his father had died at Belgrade’s Zemun Hospital after waiting three days for a ventilator despite Serbian officials’ assurances there would be no shortage of such lifesaving equipment”, according to the news agency.
“Dad, this is for you,” Djuric shouted repeatedly, before rejoining the protests.
President Vucic has challenged Djuric’s version of events and claimed at a press conference on Wednesday that right-wing groups and “foreign secret services” were behind the violence on the streets.
-
5 hawkish cartoons about Pete Hegseth's meeting of military muscleCartoons Artists take on fat generals, bravery medals, and more
-
Why are American conservatives clashing with Pope Leo?Talking Points Comments on immigration and abortion draw backlash
-
9 haunted hotels where things definitely go bump in the nightThe Week Recommends Don’t fear these spirited spots. Embrace them.
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
