Police clash with anti-government protesters in Serbia over student expulsion

BELGRADE, Serbia — Protests erupted in a southwestern Serbian town on Tuesday as police clashed with demonstrators following the reported expulsion of students from a faculty building where they had been camping for months as part of anti-government protests.

In Novi Pazar, hundreds of protesters voiced their opposition to Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and demanded the return of the students to the building. The situation escalated as protesters threw bottles at police, who responded with batons and shields. Despite the confrontation, police eventually withdrew while the students celebrated their “victory.”

The students claimed that unidentified individuals, believed to be members of a private security company, forcibly entered the state university building in the early hours of the morning. Videos of the incident circulated on social media, prompting outrage among the protesters.

Tensions in Novi Pazar, a town with a complex ethnic makeup, have been further strained by the recent events. The divide between Bosniak Muslims and Serbs dates back to the ethnic wars of the 1990s, fueling ongoing discontent and protests.

The demonstrations in Serbia originally began in response to a tragic incident at a train station that left 16 people dead due to a canopy collapse. Allegations of corruption in state-run projects have fueled public anger and fueled the protests against the government’s perceived authoritarian tendencies.

President Vucic has been under pressure to address the grievances of the protesters and to ensure the protection of students’ rights. Despite efforts to resume academic activities at universities, street protests persist with calls for early parliamentary elections.

A significant student-led gathering in Novi Pazar earlier this year was viewed as a positive step towards fostering unity and understanding among the diverse communities in the town.