Protests, road blockades sweep across Serbia, police crack down

In the capital, demonstrators set up roadblocks at several key spots.

The father of Nikola Marcetic, a student at the Faculty of Music, confirmed to N1 that his son was detained in the Zemun neighborhood. A solidarity gathering for Marcetic took place outside the downtown police station where he is being held.

Student protesters from the Belgrade Faculty of Mechanical Engineering said their fellow student was arrested during a street blockade on Wednesday evening.

Milos Dajic, a professor from the Academic Crisis Center, reported that two high school students were arrested outside the Faculty of Law.

The opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) also noted detentions in Belgrade’s central Vracar neighborhood, stating that, based on their information, minors were among those taken into custody.

Outside the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, supporters rallied for student Aleksa Stankovic, who claimed police beat him inside a police van on Tuesday evening following a blockade. Addressing the crowd chanting his name, Stankovic said, “Was I scared when they slammed my head against the van’s window? Fear is fleeting, but knowing how many people follow my work and stand by me makes those blows and bruises feel temporary, while this support lasts forever.”

All public transit vehicles in Belgrade were pulled back to the depot just before 9 pm under operational orders, N1 has learned.

Street blockades were also set up in the town of Valjevo, where locals dumped garbage outside the offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

In Nis, police detained several citizens. One man told N1 that three people were arrested, describing how officers jumped out of a van and grabbed protesters crossing a pedestrian walkway. A woman recounted to N1 how police dragged a young man by his arms and legs, adding, “They also arrested a woman. She stayed silent, didn’t say a word.”

In Novi Sad, the Faculty of Technical Sciences posted on Instagram about a vehicle trying to run over protesters on the Freedom Bridge during a blockade. The driver, who attempted to flee, was apprehended by citizens, they said in the post.

In Kragujevac, police detained a high school graduate for allegedly “insulting a police officer” during a public gathering in the city center, reported Glas Sumadije.

Street protests and road blocades have been taking place across Serbia at main roads and intersections since the massive June 28 protest rally in Belgrade.