A huge protest took place in Belgrade, marking the peak of more than four months of student-led demonstrations against President Aleksandar Vučić. It is the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule, which is accused of becoming increasingly autocratic.
Hundreds of Vučić supporters, many dressed in black with matching backpacks, gathered in Pionirski Park, near the Serbian parliament. Local reports suggest that among them were members of organised football hooligan groups and veterans of the Red Berets, a special forces unit linked to the 2003 assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjić.
A large police presence separated the two groups. Near the state broadcasting headquarters, officers warned protesters to move, citing threats of an attack by pro-government groups.
The protests began on 1 November after a newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 15 people. The incident exposed corruption and unsafe construction in a Chinese-led project, sparking public anger. The government was accused of covering up the disaster. Since then, students have led the movement, demanding honest governance and functional state institutions without corruption. They refuse to align with opposition parties, which they blame for enabling Serbia’s failing public sector.
Ahead of the rally, Vučić escalated tensions, claiming that foreign intelligence agencies were behind an attempted coup.
Vučić has also sought favour from Donald Trump. A Trump hotel is planned for Belgrade, and last week, Vučić gave an interview with Trump’s son, Don Jr. The younger Trump repeated the Serbian government’s claims that the protests were influenced by foreign money, calling them a “weaponised” movement aimed at causing a revolution.
Authorities took steps that appeared aimed at limiting the protest’s size. Intercity trains were cancelled, officially for “passenger safety,” and some public transport services were suspended. But that didn’t stop people from coming. Convoys of cars, waving national flags and banners, flooded into Belgrade from all over Serbia. Farmers joined in with tractors, and hundreds of bikers rode into the city together, showing their support.
The European Union and United Nations urged the Serbian government to respect the right to protest. Western governments have been cautious in addressing the demonstrations, as they seek to maintain ties with Vučić, hoping to pull him away from Russia’s influence.
