Citizen protests in Belgrade and Novi Sad during the last two days seem to have made Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic backtrack on reinstating the state of emergency in the country following the surge of coronavirus cases.
On July 7, after 13 people succumbed to coronavirus in 24 hours, Vucic warned that the government would reinstate strict restrictions and curfews in order to contain the spread of coronavirus.
This announcement sparked protests in Belgrade and Novi Sad, with citizens demanding Vucic’s resignation and clashing with the police.
Protesters threw rocks at the headquarters of Vucic’s ruling party. The police used tear gas against the crowd and attempted to violently disperse it. Dozens were wounded in the fighting.
After two days of protesting, on the evening of July 8, Vucic said that the country’s coronavirus committee would “probably” not impose a new curfew.
