Escalating political turmoil in Serbia results in fresh conflicts
In the heart of August 2025, the peaceful anti-corruption protests that had been ongoing in Serbia for nearly nine months took a violent turn. The turning point came when government provocations and heavy-handed police actions escalated the demonstrations into clashes.
The violence began in Novi Sad, where demonstrators vandalized premises belonging to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The government accused the protesters of violence and threatened to declare a state of emergency. Clashes left over 40 police officers injured and dozens of demonstrators arrested. The violence then spread to smaller towns such as Valjevo, where protesters damaged local government buildings and SNS offices, clashing repeatedly with police. Masked enforcers linked to authorities were reported looting businesses owned by Vucic’s opponents.
The root causes of the escalation can be traced back to longstanding anti-corruption demands, the refusal by President Aleksandar Vucic and the SNS to hold early legislative elections, provocations and instigations from government-backed groups, and heavy-handed police responses.
The escalation of violence has intensified public scrutiny and criticism of the SNS leadership and Vucic personally, portraying them as authoritarian and resistant to accountability. Vucic’s government has framed the protests as an attack on the state itself, using the unrest to justify potential emergency measures, which may consolidate SNS power but also risk further alienating citizens.
The movement’s spread from the capital and major cities to smaller towns indicates a broadening opposition base, threatening SNS’s local as well as national influence. Despite tough rhetoric, the protest movement continues to demand snap elections and greater transparency, reflecting a persistent challenge to SNS’s rule and Vucic’s presidency.
On Thursday evening, at least five police officers were injured and 14 protesters were arrested. Protests also occurred in the capital Belgrade, where protesters gathered in front of government buildings and the army headquarters. Riot police used teargas to prevent protesters from reaching SNS offices in Belgrade.
The protesters are demanding an investigation into the Novi Sad tragedy and are pressuring right-wing President Aleksandar Vucic to call early elections. Since June 28, when around 140,000 demonstrators gathered in Belgrade, the government has responded with an intensifying crackdown on activists. Student protesters have accused the police of protecting pro-government supporters while doing little to stop the attacks on their own gatherings.
The gathering on Thursday was in response to an attack by governing party supporters on demonstrators in the town of Vrbas on Tuesday. Vucic has remained defiant, repeatedly rejecting calls for early elections and denouncing the demonstrations as part of a foreign plot to overthrow him.
The UN human rights experts have expressed concern over the troubling pattern of repression, including excessive police force, intimidation, and arbitrary arrest, that protesters and those linked to the movement have faced. The protests have so far led to the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of his cabinet, but Vucic remains at the helm of a reshuffled government.
As the situation continues to unfold, the future of Serbian politics hangs in the balance. The persistent challenge posed by the protest movement, coupled with the government's response, promises to shape the political landscape for years to come.
Human rights experts have expressed concern over the repression of protesters, including excessive police force, intimidation, and arbitrary arrest, which may be a violation of basic human rights. The escalation of student protests, resulting from longstanding demands for anti-corruption, the refusal of early legislative elections, and allegations of government provocations, has led to a broader opposition base threatening the National Progressive Party's influence. The movement's focus on human rights, war-and-conflicts, politics, and general news continues to pressure President Aleksandar Vucic to call for early elections, demanding accountability and transparency in government.
