Serbian leader vows tough response to protesters following riots

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday announced tough measures against antigovernment protesters following days of riots in streets throughout the country that have challenged his increasingly autocratic rule in the Balkan country.

Thousands of people defied Vucic’s threat of a crackdown and protested later Sunday in various Serbian cities, including the capital, Belgrade. Shouting, “Arrest Vucic,” the protesters demanded that all demonstrators arrested in recent days be released. No incidents were reported.

In one of his frequent TV addresses to the public, Vucic accused the antigovernment demonstrators of “pure terrorism” and reiterated his claims that months of persistent protests against his rule have been orchestrated by the West and are aimed at destroying Serbia.

“Our country is in grave danger. They have jeopardized all our values, normal life, each individual,” Vucic said, alleging an elaborate scheme that would eventually install “anarcho-leftist” authorities. He did not offer any concrete evidence for his claims.

“Unless we undertake tougher steps it is a question of days when [the protesters] will kill someone,” Vucic said. “I am saying this for history.”

The stern warnings came after five consecutive nights of clashes between protesters on one side and police and Vucic’s loyalists on the other. Angry protesters on Saturday evening torched Vucic’s governing Serbian Progressive Party offices in a town in western Serbia and that of other ruling coalition allies.

The demonstrators on Saturday evening also clashed with police in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad. Riot officers used tear gas against demonstrators, who hurled stun grenades, flares and bottles at them.

Vucic did not specify what the state response would be that he said is coming. But he stressed that a state of emergency is not imminent. Scores of people already have been detained and injured in recent days while police have faced accusations of excessive force and arbitrary detentions of protesters.

“You will witness the determination of the state of Serbia,” Vucic said. “We will use everything at our disposal to restore peace and order in the country.”

The clashes in the last week marked a major escalation after more than nine months of largely peaceful demonstrations that started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Serbia’s north, killing 16 people.

Many in Serbia blamed the tragedy on allegedly widespread corruption in state-run infrastructure projects that they say resulted in poor renovation work. The president has faced accusations of stifling democratic freedoms while allowing organized crime and corruption to flourish. He has denied this.

Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, but Vucic has maintained strong ties with Russia and China. He is also a close ally of President Trump.

On Sunday, Vucic praised Russia’s backing for his government against what he called a “colored revolution” against his government — a reference to the pro-democracy movements against Russian-backed governments in recent decades.

Gec writes for the Associated Press.