Riot police in a northern Serbia town fired tear gas and charged at thousands of peaceful protesters who were demanding free elections and justice after months of demonstrations against the autocratic rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.

Novi Sad

In Novi Sad, Serbia, riot police used tear gas to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters demanding early elections and the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic and his SNS party. The protests, ongoing for ten months, began after a train station roof collapse that killed 16 people and sparked accusations of government corruption and negligence.

President Vucic has labelled the demonstrators as terrorists, reporting injuries among police officers during the latest clashes. UN human rights experts have expressed concern over the Serbian government's increasingly forceful response, citing excessive police force and arbitrary arrests since late June.

Tear gas fired at protesters in Serbia

Tense scenes here in northern Serbia as anti-government protesters clashed with riot police. Thousands of demonstrators had taken to the streets once again, with many in the crowd calling for early elections, seeking to oust President Aleksandar Vucic and his SNS party. We're here because we want elections. We're here because of the institutions and this abnormality we live in. We've had enough. We want this to stop and to go back to normal life. This is unbearable. This is a catastrophe. This is not life. Everything has stopped because of one man. The solution is to call elections. We want all of this to pass peacefully. On our side, we want peace and democracy to prevail and for political institutions to do their job. That means calling elections and that will be the solution because the government will change. It marks the latest in a now ten-month-long spate of demonstrations against the government, triggered when the roof of a train station collapsed back in November. The incidents claimed 16 lives and stoked anger over alleged state corruption and negligence, which demonstrators cite as causes of the disaster. Vucic has branded the protesters as terrorists. In an address late Friday, he said several policemen were wounded in the latest demonstration. According to UN human rights experts, since late June, Serbia's government has responded to the movement with an intensifying crackdown. The experts stated that protesters have faced excessive police force and arbitrary arrest.

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Breakdown