Serbia: Tear Gas Used on Protesters Demanding Elections and Justice

Protests Erupt in Serbia

• ⚡ Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in northern Serbia, calling for early elections and an end to the autocratic rule of President Aleksandar Vucic and his SNS party.
• 🗣️ Protesters expressed their frustration, stating "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 demonstrators emphasized their desire for peace and democracy, with the solution being the call for elections to facilitate a government change.

Background of Demonstrations

• 🗓️ The current protests mark the latest in a 10-month-long spate of demonstrations against the government.
• 🚂 The movement was initially triggered in November by the collapse of a train station roof, an incident that claimed 16 lives.
• 🏛️ Demonstrators cite alleged state corruption and negligence as causes of the disaster, fueling widespread anger.

Government Response and Crackdown

• 🚨 Riot police fired tear gas and charged at the peaceful protesters.
• 🗣️ President Vucic has labeled the protesters as terrorists and stated that several policemen were wounded in the latest demonstration.
• ⚖️ According to UN human rights experts, Serbia's government has responded with an intensifying crackdown since late June, including excessive police force and arbitrary arrests.