Serbian protesters clash with police, demolish ruling party offices
In Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city, police and SNS supporters loyal to populist President Aleksandar Vucic were absent as dozens of anti-government protesters smashed the windows of the party's offices, threw out furniture and SNS paraphernalia, and splashed paint across the entrance.
'He's gone,' protesters chanted in unison, referring to Vucic's 13-year-long rule.
Police in full riot gear later cordoned off several blocks in Novi Sad's city centre and used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Daily protests across Serbia, sparked by the deaths of 16 people when the roof of a renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed last November, have rattled the popularity of Vucic and the SNS.
In Belgrade, hundreds of protesters and SNS supporters threw flares and firecrackers at each other on one of the city's main boulevards.
Police in full riot gear charged the anti-government protesters and used tear gas to force them to leave the area, a Reuters witness said.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic accused protesters of attacking police in Novi Sad and Belgrade, and towns of Pancevo and Sabac. At least five police officers were injured, he said.
'Police had to act ... to avert attacks,' he told a news conference in Belgrade. 'We are urging everyone to leave the streets.'
In a live broadcast, the Belgrade-based N1 TV showed at least five protesters being detained by police.
Vucic pledged more arrests after the protests.
'I think it is clear they did not want peace and Ghandian protests. There will be more arrests,' he said in a live broadcast by Belgrade-based private Informer TV.
The opposition Party of Freedom and Justice said that Pedja Mitrovic, its parliamentary deputy, was injured during the protests and hospitalised.
'This is the handwriting of this government and Aleksandar Vucic, this is how they see Serbia,' the party said in a statement.
Similar protests were held in towns across the country.
Earlier on Thursday, Dacic said that 27 police officers and around 80 civilians were injured in Wednesday's clashes, and 47 people had been detained.
Protesters have blamed corruption for the Novi Sad railway station disaster and are demanding early elections in hopes of ousting Vucic and his party.
Students, opposition groups, and anti-corruption watchdogs have accused Vucic and his allies of ties to organized crime, using violence against political rivals, and suppressing media freedoms—allegations they deny. - Reuters
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