A number of protesters have been arrested, but police have not shared the exact number.Serbian police have cleared barricades set up by protesters in the capital after a weekend of antigovernment demonstrations that led to clashes with the police and captured an outpouring of months-long public dissent against the government.
On Monday, police removed metal fences and moved rubbish containers that had been blocking traffic in Belgrade’s Zemun district, while several dozen protesters chanted antigovernment slogans and declared they would return to the streets.
In a statement, the police said many people had been arrested but did not give their number. Their arrest has fuelled anger among those demonstrating against a populist government it accuses of authoritarian policies.
Protesters have called for the immediate release of those accused of attacking the police or plotting to overthrow the government.
President Aleksandar Vucic, who has promised a crackdown on protesters, praised the police action during a visit to Spain on Monday and said, “Citizens should not worry, the state is strong enough to secure law and order.”
Over the past eight months, student-led protests have taken place nearly daily after the collapse of a train station roof killed 16 people in November in the city of Novi Sad.
While the incident followed renovation work at the station, it has been widely blamed on poor construction and endemic corruption in the corridors of power.
On Saturday, an estimated 140,000 people rallied in Belgrade, in one of the largest demonstrations in the past few months, calling for a snap election to oust Vucic’s right-wing government. Authorities have, however, disputed the stre …