Protesters in Belgrade Break Police Cordon Near President’s Residence – Ministry

Demonstrators broke through the police cordon around the presidential residence in Belgrade and attacked police officers on Sunday, the Serbian Interior Ministry said.

“Several hooligans led by one of the leaders of the Union for Serbia [alliance], Bosko Obradovic, attacked police officers… They physically attacked police officers while trying to break through the cordon on a truck,” the ministry said.

​Earlier in the day, more than a thousand protesters gathered in front of the presidential residence in central Belgrade. After the beginning of the press conference of President Aleksandar Vucic, the protesters broke through the fence and blocked the entrances to the building. Security forces did not let them in.

​The mass protests in Serbia were sparked by an attack against the leader of an opposition party, who received a powerful blow to his head in late November. Police later announced that the suspects in the case had been detained, but the country’s opposition accused the authorities of allowing political violence.

The first rally against Serbian authorities’ policies and the country’s president, Aleksandar Vucic took place in the Serbian capital on December 8.