Clashes erupt in Belgrade after student protest: Injuries and arrests reported

The Serbian Interior Ministry confirmed that at least six police officers and two civilians were injured during the unrest.

Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic stated that law enforcement had used "minimal force" to prevent what he described as attacks on the police and the state.

"The operation is still ongoing. Dozens of hooligans have been brought in and will face prosecution," Vasiljevic said.

Before tensions escalated, a female student addressed the protesters, declaring that “elections are clearly the path out of the societal crisis caused by government actions that are undoubtedly against the interests of their own people.”

“Today, June 28, 2025, we declare the current government illegitimate,” she proclaimed, calling for fair and transparent snap parliamentary elections as the only path to national unity.

She emphasised that students had risen with a clear goal: “to return the state into the hands of the people.”

“Let this day be remembered as the day Serbia did not stay silent in the face of injustice, neither against foreign aggressors, nor domestic traitors,” she said.

The speaker also stressed the need for systemic change, not just a change in leadership. She proposed a "social pact" aimed at restoring institutions to serve citizens rather than political elites.

Key points of this proposed pact include: fulfilling student demands, reforming the education system, recognising student assemblies as legitimate, increasing salaries and ensuring equal treatment for all education workers, and upholding university autonomy.

She concluded by demanding free and fair elections, a revision of voter rolls, measures against voter bribery, and equal media access for all participants.