Six police officers and two civilians were injured in riots in Belgrade last night, and several dozen people who attacked the police cordon were detained. This was announced by the Chief of Police Dragan Vasilević in an official statement released by the press service of the Serbian Ministry of Interior.
According to the Chief of Police, the riots began after the end of the rally on “Slavia“ Square, when some of the protesters headed towards Pioneer Park, located near the National Assembly and the Presidential Administration, where another rally was taking place.
„Two rallies were held during the day - one in the area of Pioneer Park and the parliament building. The second was held on „Slavia“ Square and ended shortly after 9:00 p.m. These areas are separated by several hundred meters. The rally area was fenced off with metal barriers. At one point, participants in the action from „Slavia“ Square removed the fence and headed towards the police cordon, which was 300-400 meters from the barriers“, he noted.
“The commanders of the units in the cordon warned the participants that they would not be allowed to continue. This did not work and the attack on the police began. After the attack, which lasted about five or six minutes, the police were forced to intervene“, said Vasilevich. “All units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs acted extremely professionally. Once again, minimal force was used, just to stop those who attacked the police and the state.“
„Several dozen violators and hooligans were detained and will be held accountable in accordance with the law. Unfortunately, six police officers were injured, their condition is currently being clarified. Two citizens were also injured and are in a medical facility, the nature of their injuries is still unknown,“ the police chief stressed.
The Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, said earlier that all persons involved in attacks on police officers and state agencies during the protests in the Serbian capital will be identified and held accountable.
According to the Serbian Ministry of Interior, around 36,000 people took part in the unauthorized opposition protest. During clashes with protesters, law enforcement officers were forced to use special means to push them off a number of central streets.
The mass protest involving students was scheduled to coincide with Vidovdan, one of the main national holidays. The protesters are demanding a date for early elections and the dismantling of the camp of supporters of the Serbian president in front of parliament.
As Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has previously noted, the protest movement has already caused significant damage to the country's education system and internal stability. He claims that the protests are coordinated from outside and are aimed at destabilizing Serbia, undermining the economy and paralyzing the transport infrastructure. He estimated the potential damage from the protests at 800 million euros.
According to the newspaper „Večerne Novosti“ The Serbian president intends to address the nation on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. local time.