The Serbian authorities' management of the coronavirus crisis has made the population furious. She thus violently expressed herself Wednesday evening in Belgrade, the capital and largest city of the country. New clashes erupted during a rally of demonstrators, the police firing tear gas against protesters throwing stones and firecrackers.
President rests on government
Protesters had gathered in front of Parliament the day after a first outburst of anger against the announcement by President Aleksandar Vucic of the reintroduction of a full curfew over the weekend in order to fight against a resurgence of the pandemic. The Serbian head of state nevertheless seemed to distance himself from this announcement on Wednesday, declaring that the final decision on a possible containment would be up to his government, but that was not enough to calm the spirits. Above all, his critics accuse him of having favored a second wave of the epidemic by quickly lifting the initial confinement to be able to organize the elections of June 21, largely won by his Serbian Progress Party (SNS).
Thousands of protesters initially gathered quietly at the call of the Alliance for Serbia, the main coalition of opposition parties that boycotted the elections by accusing the growing power of authoritarianism. But after the main body of troops had left, clashes had set up riot police against groups of demonstrators in the streets surrounding the Parliament. The city center was filled with thick smoke. An opposition leader who boycotted the legislative elections, Bosko Obradovic, told N1 television that he had been hit by the police.
Break into Parliament
The day before, a peaceful demonstration had also degenerated into a pitched battle between the police and protesters. Around 60 demonstrators and police were injured while around 20 people were arrested. A small group of protesters broke into the parliament before being turned back.
Beyond the overflows, demonstrators expressed their resentment at the management of the pandemic by the authorities. "Our government is only looking out for its interests, people are collateral damage," said Jelina Jankovic, a 53-year-old protester. "We've had enough of the manipulation of the Covid-19 figures," added Danijela Ognjenovic, 52. "People are very angry."
After having mastered the first wave of the virus in early May, Serbia has officially gone from around 50 daily infections a month ago to around 350 today. Senior politicians have also tested positive after the celebrations of the ruling party's electoral victory.
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