A wave of protests is paralysing Serbia’s major cities. On Tuesday, demonstrators blocked one of Belgrade’s main transport hubs. The protesters are demanding new elections and a change of власти which, in their view, is corrupt. They were reportedly confronted by thugs linked to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and brutal scenes of violence ensued.

On Monday in Novi Sad, a group of men dressed in black—whom protesters identified as supporters of the SNS—attacked students outside the Serbian National Theatre. The police initially did not respond. Videos published on social media show protesters and journalists being beaten and knocked to the ground.

Demonstrations spread on Tuesday to Novi Sad, Belgrade, Niš and Prokuplje. Those gathered in Novi Sad announced that they had “come together to show the students that they are still with them.”

“For almost 15 months, students have been leading the fight of all of us, for all of us. They attack them with cars, sticks, fists… Yesterday they sent criminals, intoxicated with hatred, armed with the party’s blessing, who were smashing their heads in front of blind and deaf police officers,” reads a statement from a group of Novi Sad citizens who organised Tuesday’s rally.

In Belgrade, residents protesting against the brutality of law enforcement toward demonstrators blocked one of the city’s main transport junctions.

The current protests in Serbia are part of a wave of demonstrations that has continued for 15 months, sparked by the collapse of part of the roof of the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024. Sixteen people were killed in the accident.

Protesters accuse the authorities of corruption and negligence which, in their view, led to the tragedy. They are demanding that those responsible be held accountable for the accident and, since May 2025, have also been calling for early elections.