Belgrade has been on edge for days as students and citizens persistently block faculties and roads. Police are out in full force, with riot police and fines for those trying to stop traffic. Places like Zeleni Venac, Republic Square, and Terazije Tunnel have become battlegrounds between protesters and law enforcement. While city traffic mostly runs normally, occasional reroutes and shortened lines show just how tense the situation is.
It all started on June 29, when students began blocking streets in response to the arrests of fellow students suspected of planning a violent change to the constitutional order and supporting those detained after the June 28 protests. The police have made it clear they will not allow illegal blockades and will take all necessary measures to maintain public order and peace.
Despite this, students persist, placing containers, bags, and stones on main streets in Zemun and other parts of the city. Traffic has been intermittently halted, with jams especially around Branko’s Bridge and intersections like Yuri Gagarin and Gandijeva streets.
Public transport mostly operates but with shortened and rerouted lines, while trams and trolleybuses run on a Sunday schedule. Police patrols rotate through the streets, and although tensions are high, no major incidents have occurred.
This is not just a Belgrade phenomenon – protests and blockades have spread to other Serbian cities like Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Niš, Vranje, and Užice, where main roads and roundabouts have also been blocked.
While authorities claim to protect law and order, retired police colonel Slavica Radovanović sharply criticizes police violence against peaceful protesters, calling it a “great shame” and warning of human rights violations and selective policing. She urges citizens who suffered violence to report officers and not let perpetrators go unpunished.
Mental health is also taking a hit – experts warn that brutal repression undermines the basic sense of security and seriously endangers the psychological well-being of people across Serbia.
All in all, Belgrade and Serbia are caught in a whirlwind of protests, clashes, and tension. Will the students succeed in fighting for their rights, or will the police establish strict control? What do you think about all this? Are the blockades justified or just unnecessary chaos? Drop a comment, let your voice be heard in this madness!
