{"id":98269,"date":"2025-08-17T06:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T06:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/serbia-ruling-party-offices-set-on-fire-in-fifth-night-of-protests\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T06:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T06:30:08","slug":"serbia-ruling-party-offices-set-on-fire-in-fifth-night-of-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/serbia-ruling-party-offices-set-on-fire-in-fifth-night-of-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Serbia ruling party offices set on fire in fifth night of protests"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Watch: Protesters target political party office during Serbia demonstrations<\/figcaption><\/p>\n
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The offices of the the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have been set on fire during a fifth night of unrest in a row that saw fresh clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police.<\/p>\n

Police in the city of Valjevo reportedly used stun grenades and tear gas on protesters after a small group of masked individuals attacked the empty facilities of the SNS.<\/p>\n

There were widespread allegations of violence and police brutality in the capital, Belgrade, and Novi Sad. Serbia’s interior ministry has denied these allegations.<\/p>\n

It comes as Russia pledged to assist the beleaguered pro-Moscow President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, who leads the SNS, saying it would not “remain unresponsive”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ReutersReuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Anti-government protesters break the windows of the offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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The protests were initially triggered by a railway station collapse in Novi Sad<\/a> in November last year that killed 16 people, with many blaming corruption and corner-cutting by Vu\u010di\u0107’s government for the disaster.<\/p>\n

While anti-corruption demonstrations have drawn in hundreds of thousands of protestors<\/a>, they had been largely peaceful until Wednesday’s clash, when pro-government loyalists staged counter-demonstrations.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night, riot police were again deployed in a number of cities including Belgrade as people took part in demonstrations to demand early elections. <\/p>\n

Offices and flags representing Vu\u010di\u0107’s SNS party had been a focus of the protesters’ anger. <\/p>\n

Protesters also smashed the windows of the headquarters of the Serbian Radical Party, a coalition partner of the SNS.<\/p>\n

In the past week, injuries have been reported at protests across the country and unverified video has circulated on social media of police beating a man in Valjevo.<\/p>\n

Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, raised concern on Friday over the “police’s disproportionate force” in Serbia, urging authorities to “end arbitrary arrests and de-escalate the situation”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Vu\u010di\u0107 responded to Saturday’s developments on Instagram, writing that “violence is an expression of total weakness” and promising to “punish the bullies”.<\/p>\n

He has repeatedly rejected calls for early elections and denounced the demonstrations as part of a foreign plot to overthrow him.<\/p>\n

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has offered its support to the pro-Moscow, right-wing president.<\/p>\n

It said in a statement that “we cannot remain unresponsive to what is happening in brotherly Serbia”. <\/p>\n

The statement said that police were “using lawful methods and means to contain the violent mobs” and that “public order, security, and human lives” were at risk.<\/p>\n

Protests have gripped Serbia almost daily since the Novi Sad railway station collapse.<\/p>\n

The tragedy became a symbol of entrenched corruption in the Balkan nation, with initial calls for transparent probes growing into demands for early elections and the end to Vu\u010di\u0107’s 12-year reign.<\/p>\n

At their peak, the protests drew hundreds of thousands on to the streets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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