Rallies by government supporters and anti-government protesters in several Serbian cities, incidents in Čačak and the municipality of Bogatić

On Sunday, September 28, parallel rallies were held in several Serbian cities by opponents and supporters of the government led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

Incidents occurred in several places.

Masked attackers beat up an anti-government protester and struck an activist at a protest in Čačak, Beta reports.

One of the attackers was detained, while others are being sought, said Čačak police commander Dušan Jovanović.

In the municipality of Bogatić, a clash broke out between a group of progressives and anti-government protesters. According to N1, stones and bottles were thrown, and gunshots were also heard. Two police officers were injured in the incident.

Near the Radio and Television of Serbia building in Belgrade, police dispersed citizens who had gathered at the call of informal gatherings of citizens and students in the blockade, with one person detained, N1 reports.

Students in the blockade reported that after the rally at RTS, a student from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, who, according to them, had press accreditation, was also detained.

A video of the arrest was posted on Instagram.

The situation was also tense in Valjevo, where a police cordon separated anti-government protesters and progressives.

In Novi Sad, police prevented protesters from approaching locations where members and sympathizers of the SNS were walking. Rallies of government supporters and opponents were also organized in Jagodina, Niš, and Kraljevo, among other places. The rallies were guarded by a strong police force. Five people were detained, said police assistant director Vladan Radosavljević.

SNS supporters and officials say they want to use the rallies to express their disagreement with the blockades and anti-government protests demanding criminal and political responsibility for the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024.

Attack on anti-government protesters in Čačak

As eyewitnesses told the Beta news agency, masked men with baseball bats got out of a car and attacked participants in an anti-regime rally who were heading to a nearby street where buses usually park when they bring SNS supporters to rallies in Čačak. The attacked protesters were then taken to the emergency room of the Čačak hospital. At that time, a protest was taking place in front of the police building in Čačak, demanding the arrest of the attackers. The protesters then went to a restaurant in the city center where senior officials of the SNS city committee were sitting and threw eggs at the windows. They also lit torches, Beta reports, and the SNS officials retreated to the upper floor of the restaurant. A police cordon was also set up in front of the restaurant to prevent riots. During the protest in this city, there was also an incident when demonstrators tried to break through the police cordon separating them from SNS supporters.

In the clash with the police, a young man injured his leg and an older man was knocked to the ground.

An ambulance from Čačak took the injured young man away, Beta reports.

Protest in front of RTS

A protest rally of progressives took place in front of RTS. A student who participated in the pro-regime protest read out the demands: “the liberation of RTS from the thugs who have blocked it from within and are misleading the people,” and the dismissal of the management of the news, cultural, entertainment, and other programs. They also demanded “full criminal, legal, financial, and any other responsibility,” as they put it, “for all those who participated in the attempted coup.”

They did not specify what they meant by “coup d’état” or who they suspected of being responsible. They announced that if their demands were not met within 30 days, they would also demand the dismissal of the entire RTS management.

Earlier in the day, white tents were set up in front of the RTS building on Takovski Street, as the street is closed to traffic. As reported by a Radio Free Europe correspondent, nationalist songs were played over loudspeakers during the protest.

Stands were also set up to distribute food and drinks.

The gathering in front of RTS was led by Prime Minister Đuro Macut, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić, and Minister of Education Dejan Vuk Stanković. Former Serbian government secretary Novak Nedić was also present, reports N1./RSE/