Pressure mounts on Serbian regime (and the EU) after largest demonstration in the country’s history

Brussels – According to the Interior Ministry, there were about 107,000 people; according to NGOs, there were almost half a million: that is the human tide that invaded Belgrade on Saturday, March 15, for the largest demonstration in Serbia since Milošević’s ouster – perhaps the largest ever. Since the tragic canopy collapse of the Novi Sad station in November, student-led anti-corruption protests have been growing by the day. Over the past four months, in hopes of appeasing the protesters’ anger, President Aleksandar Vučić forced the resignation of the Mayor of Novi Sad, the Minister of Transportation, and Prime Minister Vučević. But the students’ real goal is the end of his regime.

Ahead of Saturday’s demonstration, the authoritarian Serbian president had shown a firm stance: “I will not allow the streets to decide the rules,” he declared. He suspended public transportation to the capital “for security reasons,” prevented Slovenian and Croatian journalists from entering the country “to preserve their safety,” and unleashed the most extremist factions of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) affiliates, who in recent months have been involved in several acts of violence against protesters. The government has reportedly even given the go-ahead for the use of a ‘sound cannon,’ the LRAD (long-range acoustic device), to disperse the crowd during the 15 minutes of silence that students observe at all demonstrations in memory of the 15 victims of the Novi Sad incident.

Vučić rejects allegations and promises “an investigation in 48 hours.”

“Just to be clear, the regime has turned on a sound cannon,” the students said, supported by videos of the alleged activation of the device, banned in Serbia and a great many other countries because of the risks of permanent damage to the hearing and health of those affected. The opposition parties reiterated the same claims: Freedom and Justice (SSP) stressed that “never in its history has Serbia been ruled by such an evil and unscrupulous man, ready to use prohibited weapons against his people,” while the Democratic Party (DS) called on all citizens involved to file a complaint “to determine the responsibility of those who ordered and carried out this attack.”

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy research institute also “strongly condemned the illegal and inhumane use of banned weapons,” a “blatant display of force and an attempt to incite chaos, aiming to delegitimize protests and criminalize peaceful citizens.” BCSP analysts call to “publicly disclose information about the weapons used, who issued the order for their deployment, and who executed it.” The Serbian president rejected the accusations and counterattacked, “They had the idea to make up a story about a sound cannon,” he said today, claiming it was a “normal anti-drone gun.” Indeed, Vučić assured that “there is no sound cannon in the Serbian army.”

According to the president, this is “another evil lie” to “destroy Serbia.” Vučić warned “An investigation will be completed within 48 hours, and all those responsible for such brutal fabrications and lies will be held accountable and brought to justice.” As the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy pointed out, in 2022, the Serbian Ministry of Interior submitted a law, later withdrawn following public pressure, to legalize acoustic devices as a crowd-control tool. A new draft law is currently under development, “though it remains undisclosed to the public,” the BCSP reveals.

Which side is the EU on? Von der Leyen will meet with Vučić

The hundred thousand — 300,000 for the Archive of Public Gatherings, an NGO that counts people at the protests –gathered in the area between the National Parliament and Slavija Square, led, once again, by students and farmers, who entered Belgrade driving their tractors. At Slavija Square, students said that they “will no longer allow officials of any party to organize attacks against students,” referring to the raids and ambushes perpetrated by militants of the ruling nationalist party. Even on Saturday, tensions remained high due to the presence of regime supporters, including former paramilitary fighters, who camped out in a park outside the presidential palace.

Manifestanti a Belgrado, 15/03/25 (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)

In the end, the tally of the largest demonstration in the country’s history was 22 arrested and 56 injured. As it unfolded, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, thanked with a post on X “all those who ensured the security” of the protesters and pointed to the need for “an agreement on the reforms necessary for Serbia‘s path towards the European Union.” Guillaume Mercier, spokesman for the EU executive, said the European Commission “expects a prompt, transparent, and credible investigation” by Serbian authorities into the use of prohibited weapons against protesters.

So far, Brussels has remained very cautious about supporting the protests. Serbia is a long-time candidate country, and Vučić, in power since 2012, is an interlocutor who promises stability. Isolating Belgrade would risk reorienting it toward – already latent – pro-Russian or otherwise decidedly anti-European positions. However, the European Commission can’t stall for long, and perhaps something is moving: four months after the protests began, President Ursula von der Leyen will meet Vučić next week, the EU leader’s communications service announced.