Local people chased ruling party activists away from several open air markets in Belgrade on Sunday following hours of chanting, whistling and booing.

Crowds gathered around Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) activists who put up stands to attract new members and supporters outside open air markets in the Vracar and Zvezdara municipalities which are known to have strongly anti-regime voters. The SNS traditionally puts up its stands manned by activists outside open air markets on weekends during election and other campaigns.

An N1 journalist saw the first stands being put up outside the Kalenic market in Vracar, immediately drawing boos and whistles from passersby while a second set of stands was being put up on the other side of the market. The first stands were taken down quickly while the stands at the second were left there for almost 12 hours with the police separating the crowd from the activists. Tensions ran high enough for the police to bring in reinforcements from the city Police Brigade without riot gear. The police even wanted to evacuate the SNS activists but could not get through the crowd. The confrontation ended at around 10:00 pm when the SNS activists packed up and left with the neighborhood crowd singing a traditional farewell song.

A similar outcome was reported at the Djeram market where local people also expressed their dissatisfaction for almost 12 hours before the SNS activists packed up and left. The police were present, separating the crowd and the activists.

The strongest reaction from local people was at a second site in the Zvezdara municipality where the SNS activists were pelted with eggs, resulting in the arrest of one young woman who threw eggs. Videos showed police officers separating activists and local people who were shouting at each other. The SNS activists were chased away at the same site a day earlier in a much shorter time.

Tensions ran high at all three places.