Turning Serbia’s streets into scenes of blockades and clashes, protestors are demanding not just elections but a complete political upheaval.
At a Glance
- Student-led mass protests and roadblocks are causing widespread disruption across Serbia.
- The protests were sparked by a deadly train station canopy collapse in November 2024, which is widely blamed on government corruption.
- Protesters are now demanding the resignation of the government and immediate snap elections.
- President Aleksandar Vučić has rejected the demands and has threatened more arrests as police crack down on the blockades.
The Spark: A National Tragedy
Serbia is being rocked by a wave of student-led anti-government protests that have escalated in recent days, bringing major cities to a standstill. The protest movement first began eight months ago, following the tragic collapse of a railway station canopy in the city of Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. The disaster, which killed 16 people, ignited public fury over what many see as endemic government corruption and negligence.
The protesters’ initial demands for accountability have since grown into a nationwide movement calling for the resignation of the government and for snap parliamentary elections.
A New Phase: Mobile Roadblocks
After months of peaceful rallies, the student-led movement has adopted a new, more disruptive tactic: mobile roadblocks. As detailed by Balkan Insight, protesters are using their bodies, garbage containers, and fences to block key highways and intersections in the capital, Belgrade, and other cities. When police arrive to clear one blockade, the protesters simply disperse and set up a new one elsewhere, creating a chaotic cat-and-mouse game with authorities.
Instructions circulating among protesters advise them to “Stay in as large a group as possible. The more creative the barricades, the better.”
#BREAKING #Serbia JUST IN: Protests and blockades continue across Serbia, with numerous blockades reported in the capital, Belgrade.
Protesters are demanding snap elections. pic.twitter.com/JbbyLkn9Eh
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) July 3, 2025
The Government’s Hardline Response
The government of Serbia’s powerful populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, has responded to the escalating protests with a crackdown. Riot police have been deployed to forcibly clear the blockades, leading to clashes and dozens of arrests.
President Vučić has taken a defiant stance, flatly rejecting the demand for early elections. In a recent televised address, he accused the protesters of inciting violence and attempting to destroy the country. “There will be more arrests,” Vučić warned, according to ABC News. “Identification of all individuals is underway.”
The government’s heavy-handed response has drawn criticism from the European Union, which has condemned the “acts of hatred and violence” and called on Serbian authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly. The escalating standoff between a determined protest movement and an intransigent government has pushed the Balkan nation into its most serious political crisis in years.
