The rioters clashed with police outside a philosophy school building in Novi Sad
Riots broke out during a large student protest in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, on Friday evening.
Demonstrators hurled stones and bottles at police officers outside the Philosophy Faculty building of the University of Novi Sad, while officers responded with tear gas.
The students accuse the government of corruption and are demanding accountability after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station last November, which killed 16 people.
Protesters have staged demonstrations in Belgrade and other cities for months, while also blockading educational institutions.
Friday’s clashes erupted after students demanded that police withdraw from the Philosophy Faculty campus, where they had been deployed last month by dean Milivoj Alanovic. The activist group Blokada FFUNS, which organizes the blockade, accused Alanovic of abusing his power.
Serbian media reported that several people were detained outside the campus. According to Blokada FFUNS, one student was struck in the leg with a rubber bullet.
Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic said officers intervened after receiving reports of “an attack” on security protecting the campus. “All citizens must respect the laws and regulations of this country,” he said.
The protests have already prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and the arrest of several officials, including a former trade minister, on corruption charges.
President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that the unrest was fueled from abroad and denounced what he called “violence disguised as activism.”
