Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accused student protesters on Sunday of making "direct calls for civil conflict and attacks on the police," in reference to developments at the end of a protest held in Belgrade's Slavija Square on June 28.
In a joint conference with Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, he asked the competent prosecutor's offices to "do their job" and "not behave as incompetent and naive."
He commended the police for their "professional behavior and desire to defeat the attackers with minimal use of force."
"Of course there will be more arrests for attacks on police. This is not the end. Other individuals are being identified. The Agency for Security and Information is working in this direction," Vučić said.
During the police intervention, following a protest held in Slavija Square, 77 people were detained and 48 police officers were injured, Minister Dacic announced on Sunday.
He said that the first clashes between some protesters and the police began at 9:42 p.m.
"During the police intervention, 48 police officers were injured - 38 members of the gendarmerie, two members of the brigade, seven police officers of the Police Intervention Unit and one officer engaged in operational security," he said.
According to Dacic, a police officer has serious head injuries.
According to official data, 22 people have been hospitalized, two of them with serious injuries.
Several protesters and police clashed in central Belgrade after the end of a student protest on Slavija Square.
According to preliminary data from the Archive of Public Gatherings, 140,000 people gathered at the "See you for Vidovan" protest, while the Serbian Ministry of Interior said that 36,000 people participated in the protest.
The students are demanding early parliamentary elections and the removal of a camp in the city center, which has been set up by other students who oppose the blockade of faculties and support President Vučić.
Students have been blocking universities since November 2024, demanding responsibility for the deaths of 16 people in Novi Sad, as a result of the collapse of a concrete shelter at the city's railway station.
Although the student-led protests have focused on government corruption, the June 28 protest also featured nationalist rhetoric, including calls for Kosovo and speeches from a figure associated with the war period.
After the initial protests, prosecutors arrested dozens of officials connected to the incident at the railway station, including former Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesic, and former director of railway infrastructure, Jelena Tanaskovic.
Vucic's opponents accuse him and his government allies of links to organized crime, violence against political rivals, and suppression of the media and free speech.
Vučić is attempting to balance his ties with the West – with the goal of joining the European Union – but also cultivates traditional ties with Russia.
He has accused "foreign powers" of being behind the protests, but without mentioning any names.
"The state will not defend itself and the bandits will face justice," he told reporters.
Alongside the student protest, a protest by Vučić's supporters was also held on Saturday, who organized a "literary evening". /REL (A2 Televizion)
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